After a troubled development, Bloodlines 2 is cracking the coffin once again. Following its announcement in 2019, the Vampire: The Masquerade sequel has been beset by a procession of departing leads and shuffled development studios, before settling into a worryingly long silence from publisher Paradox. For years we were wondering about what was going on with the Vampire RPG.
Now it seems that Bloodlines 2 has had its own dark resurrection, landing in the hands of The Chinese Room, developer of Dear Esther and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, and we've played it ourselves.
When is Bloodlines 2's release date?
Bloodlines 2 is now scheduled to release in October 2025. It's a little later than the game's previously planned first half of 2025 window, but the final(?) Bloodlines 2 delay at least gives us a specific month and keeps it within the year.
The sequel has had a long, fraught, and confusing gestation, originally scheduled for March 2020 before being pushed back to an unspecified time later that year. It eventually delayed into 2021, and then out of 2021, leaving its status a mystery—we weren't even sure which studio was making it.
In 2022, Fredrik Wester, CEO at Bloodlines 2's publisher Paradox Interactive, tweeted that "the game is in good hands." In June 2023, we learned that there would be a big September announcement about Bloodlines 2, and the prophecy held true: In September 2023, Paradox revealed that The Chinese Room has been handling Bloodlines 2 development, with its release initially set for 2024 before finally landing in October this year.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 trailers
The latest Bloodlines 2 extended gameplay reveal
In its 33-minute Bloodlines 2 extended gameplay reveal, we watch as Phyre—the player character and, in this demo's case, a Brujah—infiltrates a warehouse to learn more about a mark that's locked away her elder vampire powers. We see some dialogue choices, some vampire combat magic, and some grisly first-person combat punctuated by neck-biting finishers.
What other Vampires: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 videos are there?
Calling this September 2023 trailer an announcement trailer might feel like a curious decision, given that Bloodlines 2 was technically announced already. But with how fraught its development has been, maybe treating this as a new incarnation makes the most sense. Regardless, we actually get to see some of the gameplay produced by Bloodlines 2's new development home with The Chinese Room, with lots of clips of first-person superhuman vampire combat, featuring high-speed punches, blood magic, and more.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 character and story
What do we know about the story and our character in Bloodlines 2?
In Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, we'll play as Phyre, an elder vampire recently awoken from a century of vampire hibernation. Unfortunately for Phyre, they've awoken to less than ideal circumstances: They were in the Middle East when they entered their slumber, but now they've found themself in a derelict Seattle apartment building with a magical brand that's locked away most of their abilities and the voice of a Thin-Blood vampire named Fabien trapped in their head.
Having an authored player character with an established backstory is a departure from the first Bloodlines game, where your player character was a blank slate. Phyre will be customizable—in a Bloodlines 2 Narrative & RPG stream, Bloodlines 2 narrative director Ian Thomas said "there'll be a choice of clans, there'll be a choice of outfit, a choice of gender"—but Bloodlines fans are, unsurprisingly, skeptical about the change in direction. It seems like we'll have some sway in Phyre's history: "elements of her background are up to you to choose, and what she reveals to other people, and what story she's telling," Thomas said.
As Phyre investigates their rude awakening, Thomas said they'll have to navigate the vampire politics and machinations of Kindred society in Seattle, with player dialogue choices influencing Phyre's relationships and standing.
What vampire clans will be playable in Bloodlines 2?
The Chinese Room has confirmed four of the Masquerade vampire clans that'll be playable in Bloodlines 2, with two additional clans arriving later as DLC.
Here are the four clans confirmed clans at launch:
- Brujah: The first clan confirmed for the reborn Bloodlines 2, the Brujah are a clan of philosopher-kings-turned-anarchist-punks, its current-day ranks drawing from revolutionaries, radicals, and activists. Stereotyped as thugs and hooligans, Brujah tend to reject hierarchy and tradition, instead directly pursuing their individual passions—and tending toward a similarly fierce fighting style. As glimpsed in the Brujah reveal teaser video, Brujah abilities in Bloodlines 2 will focus on aggressive, superpowered melee combat.
- Tremere: Unlike most of the other vampire clans—who trace their lineage to vampires predating the Biblical Flood—the Tremere are instead descended from a group of Medieval mages who sought immortality by stealing a vampire's blood. Today, Tremere continue as occultists who seek and hoard arcane knowledge. In Bloodlines 2, Tremere abilities will go heavy on the blood sorcery, weaponizing their own blood as projectiles while boiling enemies' blood at a distance. You can see a brief look at their blood magic in the Tremere reveal teaser.
- Banu Haqim: The Banu Haqim have a particularly inconvenient dietary restriction: They thirst specifically for other vampiric blood. They're also, apparently, the self-appointed vigilantes of the vampire world, strictly adhering to a moral code and dispatching from the shadows those who don't uphold it. A sort of "assassin's creed," if you will. In Bloodlines 2, Banu Haqim characters will skew towards stealth.
- Ventrue: Generally, the Ventrue are the most aristocratic, genteel, and domineering. Snobby assholes with mind-control powers, in other words. In Bloodlines 2, they'll manipulate and dominate their enemies and prey, while building up their own defenses through feeding.
As for any Malkavian fans feeling left out, don't worry. Fabien—Phyre's vampiric companion—is a Malkavian. The clan was one of several player options in the first game, and its vampires were portrayed as the "wise madmen" types. Our recent experience playing Bloodlines 2 suggests Fabien's portrayal is a little more nuanced, and offers a new perspective on how he understands and engages with people.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 gameplay info
We've played Bloodlines 2, and it settled some fears
The sequel's troubled journey and repeated delays didn't do much to inspire confidence, but PC Gamer's Fraser Brown went hands-on with Bloodlines 2 and put some of those fears to rest. He's cautiously optimistic, but dug how much the game "delights in leaning into the vampire power fantasy" by positioning Phyre as no fledgling vamp. They're an undead, elder monster with centuries of wisdom and power to pull from.
Their power may be sapped, but our Bloodlines 2 preview reassures "the Chinese Room has gone to great lengths to ensure that you still feel like a supernatural apex predator—to a degree not even remotely attempted by the previous VTM games."
Even in a weakened state, Phyre wields incredible strength, speed, and telekinesis. Combat is snappy, chaotic in the best ways, and Paradox deputy CEO Mattias Lilja even claimed "people who have seen it talk about Dishonored." Fortunately, Fraser agreed, finding its stealth and Phyre's flexible kit delivered action Arkane "would absolutely approve [of]."
What about Bloodlines 2 dialogue choices?
Gameplay reveals for the new Bloodlines 2 has shown that The Chinese Room is going in a more... Fallout 4 direction for interactions with NPCs, for better or—as Vampire: The Masquerade fans are assuming—markedly worse. In dialogue sequences, Players will be choosing the vibe of their response instead of seeing the actual text of what they're saying. It's unclear how much player choice will actually affect story direction, or whether those choices will generally end up in the same location but with different tone along the way.
More Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 info
What's the situation with the Bloodlines 2 development issues?
Bloodlines 2 has gone through a lot, and not just delays. Lead writer Brian Mitsoda, who was one of the main faces of the game since its unveiling, was fired from the project along with creative director Ka’ai Cluney in 2020. According to a blog post by developer Hardsuit Labs, the decisions came as part of "organizational changes" to the development team. Speaking to Rock Paper Shotgun via email, Mitsoda said that he was "suddenly terminated" and that "this came to [him] as a shock would be underselling it."
In October 2020, senior narrative designer Cara Ellison left Hardsuit Labs as well to join League of Geeks.
As of February 2021, its Hardsuit Labs that's been fired. Bloodlines 2 publishers Paradox Interactive announced that the game would be delayed past 2021 while they change developers. "We have started a collaboration with a new studio partner to finish work on the game," Paradox said. "This has been a difficult decision, but we are convinced that it is the right way forward to do the game justice."
After more than two years of wondering about the state of Bloodlines 2, we finally learned in September 2023 that Dear Esther developer The Chinese Room has taken over Bloodlines 2 development, brought in after Hardsuit Labs was taken off the project.
How has Bloodlines 2 changed with its new developer?
After its development shifted over to The Chinese Room, we know that Bloodlines 2 has changed up its gameplay mechanics and RPG systems, though not exactly how. When our own fang-fan Ted Litchfield spoke to to Paradox Interactive VP of World of Darkness Sean Greaney and the creative director of Bloodlines 2 in Alex Skidmore, we learned from Greaney that they "have been able to reuse a significant amount of art and level design" with Skidmore clarifying that The Chinese Room is using "a new code base with different gameplay mechanics and RPG systems."
We also know it's still set in Seattle, but instead of playing as a recently-turned "thinblood" vampire, you'll now be playing as an established vampire Elder, recently awoken from a prolonged torpor.
Beyond that, we'll need to wait for further details to have a more complete sense of just how much Bloodlines 2 has changed. The Chinese Room has promised more details in early 2024, including an extended gameplay reveal in January 2024.
What did we know about Bloodlines 2 before its studio shuffle?
Given the fraught history of Bloodlines 2 development and its changing studios, we don't know how much of what we learned before 2023 is relevant to the current version of Bloodlines 2. With all its complications, it sounds like the game has undergone some serious revisions. Here's a summary of details we had for Bloodlines 2 while it was in the care of Hardsuit Labs, but again: Some or all of this might not be representative of what to expect from the game currently being developed by The Chinese Room.
The announcement trailer sets a darker tone and established Bloodlines 2's Seattle setting, which The Chinese Room has confirmed is still the setting for Bloodlines 2. Hardsuit Labs released a 30 minute gameplay demo for Gamescom 2019. It gives a good sense for what it was like to roam around open Seattle in the earlier version.
Paradox had confirmed that five clans, the Brujah, Tremere, Toreador, Ventrue, and Malkavians would be playable in Bloodlines 2. They had also detailed 11 different disciplines of vampire powers, each with its own set of abilities. Some, like the super strength-esque Potency, the superhumanly speedy Celerity, and the Thaumaturgy blood magic disciplines are visible at least in spirit in the reveal trailer above from The Chinese Room, but it's unclear how much of the surrounding systems are intact.
Hardsuit Labs had revealed a number of joinable factions, and had confirmed that there would be a version of the emotional blood "resonances" from the tabletop game, which provide different qualities to blood when drunk. At the time, the studio had estimated a single playthrough would take around 25-30 hours.
