Gamers received some troubling news today as Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 was delayed at least a year. Furthermore, publishers Paradox Interactive announced that the developer, Hardsuit Labs, has been removed from the project entirely. Paradox had originally purchased gaming publisher White Wolf, which gave them the rights to the Bloodlines franchise. The game was originally scheduled for 2020; however, staff firings and the COVID-19 pandemic pushed Bloodlines 2 to 2021. Paradox has not yet announced who is taking over the development of the long-awaited sequel.
Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 is the direct sequel to the highly successful Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines, released for PC on November 16, 2004. Bloodlines 2 will be the first title in the entire Vampire: The Masquerade series released on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles.
The first Bloodlines is an action RPG where the player takes on the role of a newly turned vampire who is to be acclimated into the dark underworld. A lot of mechanics are set to carry over from the prequel into Bloodlines 2 as well.
The sequel features an all-out war between the vampire clan that; subsequently, has the main character dropped right in the middle. Taking place in Seattle, an inquest is launched in order to discover the reasoning behind the newly occurring violence. The main character can choose between a variety of vampiric abilities that; consequently, have their own unique benefits and downsides. Additionally, the main character gains abilities through joining a vampire clan and becoming a disciple. Players can choose what or who they feed on and can receive penalties for their failure to be discreet.
The Last Word on Gaming Viewpoint
Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2‘s repeated delays are very worrisome and are made even more concerning by budget cuts resulting from the pandemic, and the removal of the development studio from the project as well. Things to be excited for; however, include the franchise coming to last-gen and current-gen consoles and the extended time allowing for improvements and kinks to be worked out. The more exposure the Bloodlines franchise receives, the higher chance fans have of further sequels achieving success and recognition.
