Paradox Interactive has made a major announcement regarding the development of Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 during its recent PAX West 2023 keynote. The game, which has had a tumultuous development journey, will now be taken over by The Chinese Room, a renowned studio known for its narrative-driven games like Dear Esther and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture.
Bloodlines 2 was initially planned for release in early 2020 but faced multiple delays before Paradox Interactive decided to remove developer Hardsuit Labs from the project in mid-2021. Despite the challenges, Paradox Interactive remained committed to bringing the game to life and sought out a new studio to take over development.
During a recent interview with Digital Trends, Sean Greaney, Paradox Interactive’s World of Darkness vice president, and Alex Skidmore, The Chinese Room’s studio design director, discussed the vision behind Bloodlines 2 and the reasons behind the change in developers.
Greaney explained that the decision to switch developers was driven by a clash in vision. While Hardsuit Labs did excellent work on the project, their vision for the final product didn’t align with what Paradox had in mind. The goal for Bloodlines 2 is to create a game that captures the player fantasy of being a vampire while staying true to the Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition role-playing game.
The Chinese Room was chosen as the new developer for their impressive narrative-driven games and their ambition to move into the action RPG genre. According to Greaney, their vision for Bloodlines 2 aligned perfectly with Paradox’s, making them the ideal choice to take over the project.
The transition to The Chinese Room didn’t require a complete restart of the game’s development. Many aspects, such as the setting of Seattle and the character art, were carried over from Hardsuit Labs’ work. However, there are some differences in the game, such as the protagonist being an experienced elder vampire new to Seattle rather than a newly-formed Thinblood vampire.
Bloodlines 2 will continue to be a first-person game with various combat options and abilities adapted from Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition. Players will also need to maintain the Masquerade, the vampire society’s rule of secrecy, to avoid narrative consequences.
While this transition to a new developer may raise concerns, Greaney assured fans that The Chinese Room’s version of the game has reached the alpha phase of development. Paradox Interactive is confident in the new release window and has started a new marketing campaign for the game. Bloodlines 2 is now set to launch in fall 2024 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
As fans eagerly await the release of Bloodlines 2, they can expect a vampire RPG with intense combat and a rich narrative experience, showcasing The Chinese Room’s storytelling expertise combined with the essence of Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition.
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