Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Handed Over to The Chinese Room

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Initially, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 not only had an extremely long name but was also going to be developed by a studio called Hardsuit Labs.

In 2021, the publisher, Paradox Interactive, parted ways with Hardsuit and delayed development indefinitely. Finally, the game has resurfaced, developed by a studio called The Chinese Room.

Sumo Digital currently owns this studio, but it began life as a bunch of people modding Half-Life 2 and blossomed into a full-blown studio.

True to their roots, they’re still on the smaller side, having less than a hundred employees and only around six games under their belt. They seem tuned into the horror genre, so they’re the right people for this.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 – A New Trailer

On top of the announcement of a change in developer, a new trailer and a release date for the project have come about.

First, the game has been reconstructed entirely in a new engine, with a slightly reworked story following the 2004 original. Expect something slightly different if you’ve been following this game from the start.

This trailer is entirely pre-rendered, but Paradox has given us some statements on when we’ll see more of the game itself, namely that there will be a proper gameplay reveal in January, along with more information about the release date.

From what we’ve seen from the trailers, it’ll be another Action RPG similar to the original, but with about 20 years of technology advancing in between.

Image from Paradox Interactive.

I’d recommend taking all the information on the Steam page and the trailer as a brand-new game and forgetting anything from 2021 or earlier about it.

It’s about getting through Seattle and a three-front siege as an Elder Vampire with a voice in your head, causing a conflict with everything else happening around you.

While there are story details on the Steam Page, like the rest of the information around this game, it’s incredibly light on the gameplay details.

All we can tell about the gameplay is that it’s an action RPG with mostly hand-to-hand combat from the trailer, but we haven’t seen any proper in-game footage, so we’ll have to wait on that.

When and Where Can You Play Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2?

Image from Paradox Interactive.

Of the details we do have down already, at least we know the platforms that Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 will be released on.

At the end of the trailer, we see it’ll be on the Epic Games Store, Steam, Good Old Games, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5. It’ll be coming in Fall 2024, with a more specific release date and some gameplay in January.

Regardless of the fuzzy details, this is a game to keep your eye on if you were a fan of the first game or want a new horrifying action RPG to sink your teeth into.

I’d especially recommend waiting until January to see how the game will play properly, but considering they’ve chosen an Indie dev steeped in the horror genre, I think this game is in good hands.

Further Reading

If you want more on indie horror or just some of your favorite indies, stick around for more on Indie Game Culture.

Gylt Review: Horror for Cowards

Greyhill Incident Review: A Shortly-Statured Horror?

Best Indie Horror Games to Give You Goosebumps

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