Fans of Vampire: The Masquerade had something to sink their teeth into at the 2021 Game Awards as a new trailer for Bloodhunt was shown off. The Bloodhunt gameplay trailer featured fearsome vampires waging war in the brutal ballet of battle.
Bloodhunt is a battle royale game that takes place on the streets of Prague in the World of Darkness. It is currently in development and will be published by Sharkmob and is one of three games the developer is currently working on. Bloodhunt came to early access for PC on September 7, 2021, and the full release is planned for both PC and Windows in the Spring of 2022.
The trailer shows fierce combat in the streets and across the rooftops of the city as vampires slay with guns, swords, and supernatural powers. They sprint down alleys and scramble up the sheer sides of buildings just to leap across the rooftops. Aside from the frantic PvP, there appear to be NPCs available to prey on. However, unsuspecting vampires can just as easily turn into a victim if they're not paying attention as evidenced by several brutal attacks.
The trailer also highlights several aspects of Bloodhunt, including the ability for players to create and customize their own vampire. In a series of quick cuts, multiple unique models are shown. It appears that no matter the vampire clan, there will be plenty of options for players to explore in terms of getting their look just right.
The battle royale genre continues to grow in popularity thanks to titles like Fortnite and PUBG. Aside from exclusive deals and cameos from other franchises, it can be argued that the genre hasn't done much to branch out. Bloodhunt looks like it might change that with the unique movement and powers of the vampires in conjunction with the weapons mortals would typically wield. If done correctly, it could bring a much-needed splash of color to the genre.
While it's nice that some studios are trying new things, combining a world where supernatural creatures have fought so hard to stay in the shadows lest they be wiped out with a city-wide battle royale doesn't make much sense. It smacks of having an idea and attaching a well-known property to it in order to generate buzz. That being said, there have been a handful of other Vampire: The Masquerade titles languishing in development, so at this point, something is better than nothing.
Bloodhunt is currently available for early access on PC, with a PS5 release scheduled for Spring 2022.