The long-suffering Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, which was surrounded by scandals, postponements, and even the suspension of the development studio, is back. The game has a new developer and a new release date. The Chinese Room studio is now in charge of the project, and Bloodlines 2 is due out in the fall of 2024.
Bloodlines 2 is a sequel to the cult game Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (2004), the last game by the legendary Troika Games. The idea of creating a sequel appeared in 2015, shortly after Paradox Interactive acquired White Wolf Publishing and the rights to the World of Darkness universe.
Initially, the game was developed by Hardsuit Labs, but the project fell into production hell and a series of scandals, including those related to sexual harassment. Several leading developers left the project, and the release, originally scheduled for 2020, was postponed several times. In 2021, Hardsuit Labs was removed from development, and the project was almost closed. But Paradox Interactive decided to continue development, and now we finally have a new studio, a new release date, and a new trailer.
The Chinese Room, which now holds the fate of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, is a British studio that has been a part of Sumo Digital since 2018, which, in turn, has been a part of China's Tencent since 2022. The Chinese Room is known for creating a new game genre of "walking simulator" in fashion, and then the game Dear Esther (2008/2012). In addition, such well-known narrative games as Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs (2013), Everybody's Gone to the Rapture (2015), and Little Orpheus (2020). Another big game from The Chinese Room is due out in 2024 - the horror Still Wakes the Deep. We wish the developers all the best!