Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 will probably not release in the first half of 2021 according to the Paradox Interactive CEO Ebba Ljungerud. The announcement arrives after a troublesome year for developer Hardsuit Labs that saw Bloodlines 2 delayed twice.
The game was originally due to arrive in the first quarter of 2020, but a delay was announced in October 2019. At the time, Hardsuit Labs said it needed more time to polish and stabilize the action-RPG title, which was pushed back from its first quarter release to sometime later in 2020. That changed in August when Hardsuit announced that the Bloodlines 2 would be delayed to 2021 in order to “ensure the best player experience possible.”
The developer never confirmed a specific release window, but now it seems fans may not get to play Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 until the second half of 2021. "I do not think it will come in the first half of the year, but we will see,” Ljungerud told Swedish publication Placera during a recent interview. Ljungerud said the hold-up was due to publisher Paradox Interactive’s decision to adapt Bloodlines 2 for the PS5 and Xbox Series X, as well as complications caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
This comes after months of sudden staff exits at Hardsuit. About a week after it was announced the game would be delayed a second time, Hardsuit and Paradox made a joint decision to fire Bloodlines 2 creative director Ka’ai Cluney and narrative lead designer Brian Mitsoda. Mitsoda said his sudden removal “came as a shock” and that he had “never been led to believe that I hadn’t succeeded." More staff changes followed in October when senior narrative designer Cara Ellison left the project.
Hardsuit also cut content created for the game by designer Chris Avellone after he was accused of sexual assault in June. The developer said Avellone’s contributions were "brief.”
Bloodlines 2 is the sequel to the cult-hit Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines that released in 2004. The title is based on a tabletop RPG of the same name, set in White World Gaming Studio’s World of Darkness. While the original title is beloved by dedicated fans, many regard it is a flawed masterpiece due to its technical problems.
Hardsuit Labs hopes to perfect what the first game accomplished with Bloodlines 2, an action-RPG that will reportedly force players to make complex moral decisions that affect other characters around them. Players will start the game by choosing which of the 13 vampire clans their character belongs to. Fans got to see gameplay clips in a Bloodlines 2 trailer revealed during the Xbox Series X gameplay event in May.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is expected to arrive in 2021 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X.
Source: Placera
