Game News Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 resurfaces, more to be revealed in September

[Infinitron]

Tags: Paradox Interactive; Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2

As most of our readers will recall, Paradox Interactive's Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 was postponed indefinitely in early 2021 after the ignominious dismissal of its original developer, the Seattle-based Hardsuit Labs. While there's been basically no official news about the game since then, starting from late 2021 rumors began to circulate that the studio Paradox had hired to finish the game was Brighton-based The Chinese Room. You may know The Chinese Room as the creators of archetypal "walking simulator" Dear Esther, although following the layoff of the original staff and acquisition by publisher Sumo Digital in 2018, they're essentially an entirely new company under founder Dan Pinchbeck. That being said, today's brief update from Paradox did not reveal who is making Bloodlines 2. Published just ahead of Summer Game Fest, its main purpose seems to be to remind people that the game is still alive and to announce that they're refunding preorders for its physical editions. It also includes a small batch of fairly unremarkable "post-alpha" screenshots.

Dear Bloodlines fans,

It’s been quite a while between updates while we’ve had our heads down working on the game. We remain just as dedicated to delivering a great Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines game as we were when we announced, and are looking forward to showing you more in September this year.

We acknowledge it was a long time ago that many of you pre-ordered Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. As development continues, we will be updating the game’s editions and bonus content, and we want to provide the best value to those of you who supported us via digital pre-order after all this time. We are thus offering refunds to anyone who has pre-ordered any edition of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. As part of this process, we are proactively refunding all pre-orders of physical products, including the Collector’s Edition. The digital versions of the First Blood Edition, Unsanctioned Edition and Blood Moon Edition remain, but can be refunded if you choose.

We’re excited to show you more and hope to have all of you with us in September when we reveal more. We know you are eager to see how the game is coming along so we’ve put together a fresh batch of screenshots to share with you.

For more information about refunds and how to submit your request, please visit our FAQ.

Until then, The Bloodlines Team

Stay tuned here and on the Bloodlines 2 Discord server for more news.​

As stated, there'll be more news about the revived Bloodlines 2 in September. For now, what we can see is that the game's original website is gone and its Steam page has been stripped down, notably removing the iconic Mr. Damp character from its cover art. One can assume that Hardsuit's original plot has been scrapped, although the game is still set in Seattle.

 

[Fargus]

Why can't this fucking abomination just die?

 

[Grampy_Bone]

 

[motherfucker]

Does Mitsoda still wear those stupid gloves?

 

[Delterius]

Does Mitsoda still wear those stupid gloves?

how can we know his character got cut

 

[MrBuzzKill]

Perhaps Paradox is being influenced by the Sunk cost fallacy here? Or is it that, after all these public disasters, they still have a hope of putting out a project that will cover some of the costs - while potentially ruining the IP?

 

[Infinitron]

Perhaps Paradox is being influenced by the Sunk cost fallacy here? Or is it that, after all these public disasters, they still have a hope of putting out a project that will cover some of the costs - while potentially ruining the IP?

It's not just the cost of developing the game, but also the cost of buying the World of Darkness from CCP in the first place. If they can't make this, then what was it all for? Licensing a bunch of visual novels?

 

[Anthedon]

The permanent state of undeath of Bloodlines 2 is very apt considering the setting, but still.

 

[luj1]

It's not just the cost of developing the game

Its not I agree, its also a huge lack of talent and skill

 

[Fargus]

The permanent state of undeath of Bloodlines 2 is very apt considering the setting, but still.

Final death is preferable solution.

 

[Maxie]

can a Bloodlines game exist without vampire booba and snappy Big Lebowski tier dialogue

 

[Bester]

Infinitron why am I redirected to another page when I click on images? Is this 2004? Make them pop out on the overlay, get some plugin. Stop this cringe.

 

[Ryzer]

Does Mitsoda still wear those stupid gloves?

how can we know his character got cut

The game might end up better then. incline.

 

[La vie sexuelle]

Last incarnation only redeeming point was a club titty lady. is game is really making by Chinese Room, I don't expect even that much.

 

[Fargus]

Chink Room are the retards that bitched about sexism in Cyberpunk years before it's release and made some walking sims. Bloodlines 2 is in good hands.

 

[La vie sexuelle]

And don't forgot how owner lady had this funny rant after Everybody's Gone to the Rapture flop

 

[cherry blossom]

I wonder how much the base design changed. From before the change of hands, the game looked like it was going to be kiddie console bs with overpowered flashy abilities, so I hope that all changed. A Thin-Blood nobody (14th generation and up) with powers equivalent of ●●●●● Disciplines? And I'm actually quite fond of Thin-Bloods in V5.

And don't even get me started on jumping down buildings like it was nothing. The game looked like all it was missing was sparkling skins. And this was with Mitsoda on the board, ffs.

 

[Fargus]

And don't forgot how owner lady had this funny rant after Everybody's Gone to the Rapture flop

LOL, good stuff

Finally, Curry unburdened herself of the indignities she's undergone as a woman in the games industry.


"I thought I was strong enough to lead the charge, to prove through talent and hard work and positivity that women have a vital role to play."


"I thought I was strong enough to lead the charge," she said, "to prove through talent and hard work and positivity that women have a vital role to play."I’ve had journalists assuming I’m Dan's [personal assistant], I have been referenced as 'Dan Pinchbeck’s wife' in articles, publishers on first meeting have automatically assumed that my producer is my boss just because he’s a man, one magazine would only feature Dan as studio head and wouldn’t include me. When Dan has said 'Jess is the brains of the operation' people have knowingly chuckled and cooed that it’s nice of a husband to be so kind about his wife. I don’t have enough paper to write down all of the indignities that I’ve faced."


"This is not a rejection of [Pinchbeck] but of the society that still can’t cope with the fact that a woman might just be as talented as the man she shares her life with."

 

[cherry blossom]

Perhaps Paradox is being influenced by the Sunk cost fallacy here? Or is it that, after all these public disasters, they still have a hope of putting out a project that will cover some of the costs - while potentially ruining the IP?

It's amazing how inapt they are about the IP. They keep releasing poor quality games that don't even pay for itself. There is now a VR VTM game coming named Justice and looks as bad and uninteresting as it could be.

Handing BL2 over to The Chinese Room was possibly an effort to at least help make something that could actually sell.

 

[Roguey]

It's amazing how inapt they are about the IP. They keep releasing poor quality games that don't even pay for itself.

The other publishers/devs pay Paradox to use the license, they're losing no money on those.

They also seem to be pretty happy about Coteries/Shadows, since they're actually paying those guys themselves to do a Hunter game (that should also be announced later this year or next)

 

[duskvile]

I hope they get the gameplay right. I'd like smaller and confined game with great story and gameplay than shoot big and fall flat.

 

[cherry blossom]

It's amazing how inapt they are about the IP. They keep releasing poor quality games that don't even pay for itself.

The other publishers/devs pay Paradox to use the license, they're losing no money on those.

They also seem to be pretty happy about Coteries/Shadows, since they're actually paying those guys themselves to do a Hunter game (that should also be announced later this year or next)

Do you know that for a fact?

I liked Night Road quite a bit, by the way. I have forgotten about Swan Song, which looked like it was ok but I have yet to finish it.

 

[Roguey]

Do you know that for a fact?

Well yeah, that's how licensing works. All the V:tM games so far are published by companies that aren't Paradox. That'd be pretty pathetic if they had to pay people to use a license they paid a lot of money for.

As for the Hunter game, I made a thread about it https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...entially-related-concept-art-revealed.145193/

 

[cherry blossom]

I had thought Paradox was the publisher in all those games. I admit I wasn't paying attention.

 

[ropetight]

Paradox, like all the big publishers troughout the history, at the same time became collectors of IP rights and blight of industry.
They are already making Star Trek Stellaris, we are waiting for Game of Thrones Crusader Kings.