Publisher Paradox Interactive and developer The Chinese Room have published a new dev diary for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. The dev diary goes into how The Chinese Room will be picking up development for the game.
04.09.2023 - 18:19 / gamingbolt.com / Hardsuit Labs / Sean Greaney
When Paradox Interactive announced in early 2021 that Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 had been indefinitely delayed, with developer Hardsuit Labs being taken off the project, many feared the worst, with questions being asked about whether the game would even see the light of day. After all, after the decision was made to take Hardsuit Labs off development, the game almost ended up getting cancelled.
Recently, however, Paradox re-revealed the game and confirmed that it’s now being developed by Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture studio The Chinese Room, with a release window now set for Fall 2024. However, is there a chance that long-awaited action RPG sequel will end up getting delayed once again?
According to Paradox Interactive’s vice president of the World of Darkness IP Sean Greaney, that’s not going to happen. Speaking in a recent interview with Digital Trends, Greaney said that the publisher is “confident” the game will hit its launch window, which is why it has resumed marketing for it. In fact, the project has already passed the alpha stage of development, and continues to make good progress behind the scenes.
“If we weren’t confident in the new release window, we wouldn’t be starting the new marketing campaign,” he said. “There’s a reason we haven’t been out there communicating and marketing this title for a while. We wanted The Chinese Room to have the opportunity to get this baby, grow it with some uninterrupted development time, and clear alpha. Now that we’re through alpha, it’s the time to start talking to our fans.”
Interestingly, it’s also been revealed that The Chinese Room did not completely reboot development, and that a lot of the work originally done for the game by Hardsuit Labs is still being used, including a “significant amount” of art and character art, the story’s main themes, and the setting of Seattle.
It’s also been confirmed that the game is now being developed using Unreal Engine 5.
Upon its launch next year, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Publisher Paradox Interactive and developer The Chinese Room have published a new dev diary for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. The dev diary goes into how The Chinese Room will be picking up development for the game.
Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 recently received (September 2023) some news regarding its targeted release, having been moved over to a new development studio. The game was initially supposed to be released all the way back in March 2020, but after several delays, the project appears to have been refocused somewhat.
The Chinese Room's rebooted version of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 won't be an immersive sim like Hardsuit Labs' version of the game was said to be.
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There's been much secrecy regarding Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2, the sequel to the 2004 cult favorite vampire RPG. First announced in 2019—with the original creatives returning for the sequel—work on that game hit a roadblock, and a creative and developer shakeup was announced in 2021.
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture team The Chinese Room has been confirmed as the new studio behind the troubled Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2, with an updated release window set for late 2024. It's unclear how much of the work original developer Hardsuit Labs put into the project will carry over into the final version, but you can catch a new trailer above.
Paradox interactive has re-announce Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, now with The Chinese Room taking over as the game’s developer.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 has risen from the depths of development hell, two years after Paradox Interactive parted ways with the game's former developer, Hardsuit Labs, and delayed the game indefinitely. The publisher has since recruited Dear Estherand Everybody’s Gone to the Rapturestudio The Chinese Room to work on the sequel to the original RPG from 2004. Bloodlines 2 is now set to arrive in fall 2024.
Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines had a cult following, and for years, it didn’t look like the game would see a new installment. However, that changed just a few years ago with publisher Paradox Interactive working with the studio Hardsuit Labs. This team would bring out a new thrilling installment with players tossed into a war filled with legions of vampires. Details were a bit scarce, but the studio was full steam ahead for getting this game out into the marketplace. However, it all fell apart a couple of years ago.
Paradox Interactive recently re-revealed Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, confirming that the action RPG is now being developed by The Chinese Room (Dear Esther, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture). Of course, until early 2021, the studio in charge of the project was Hardsuit Labs, before being taken off it due to behind-the-scenes development issues– however, the project wasn’t rebooted and started from scratch.
Paradox Interactive has, at long last, officially re-revealed Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, with The Chinese Room – known for the likes of Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture and Dear Esther – taking over as the developer from Hardsuit Labs. And even though plenty of work done by the original developer is still being used for the new project, the new studio in charge has made some significant changes behind the scenes.
Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2, sequel to the cult classic 2004 vampire role-playing game, has resurfaced in a new version made by a new studio after its development imploded in 2021.