Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2, sequel to the cult basic 2004 vampire role-playing sport, has resurfaced in a brand new model made by a brand new studio after its growth imploded in 2021.
Now due for launch in fall 2024, Bloodlines 2 has been taken over by The Chinese language Room, a U.Okay. studio finest identified for its atmospheric and mysterious strolling simulators, Expensive Esther and All people’s Gone to the Rapture. Writer Paradox Interactive promised to disclose extra in regards to the sport in January.
The setting for the sport stays broadly the identical as for its earlier incarnation, however The Chinese language Room has made some modifications. Bloodlines 2 nonetheless takes place in a model of modern-day Seattle within the depths of winter. The town is underneath siege on three fronts, and there’s an influence vacuum within the vampire courtroom, which has break up into factions. (The Vampire: The Masquerade collection takes place within the World of Darkness role-playing setting, a modern-Gothic tackle the true world the place vampires, werewolves and different legendary creatures roam.)
In an interview with PC Gamer, inventive director Alex Skidmore underlined that Bloodlines 2 is utilizing “a brand new code base with completely different gameplay mechanics and RPG techniques” to the earlier model, which was being made by Seattle developer Hardsuit Labs. The protagonist has additionally modified from a younger vampire, as within the unique sport, to a strong Elder, “to create one thing completely different from Bloodlines to provide a special expertise.” This Elder has been awoken from a protracted slumber, so the world will nonetheless be new to them. “You could have sufficient that you could fill within the character a bit as you go and roleplay, however they’re additionally a longtime factor that you simply perceive as aspirational,” Skidmore defined.
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It appears as if little stays of the Hardsuit Labs model past among the sport’s artwork belongings. Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 was initially introduced by Paradox in 2019 for a 2020 launch. After a number of delays and the firing of its inventive leads, Paradox parted methods with Hardsuit in 2021 and delayed the sport indefinitely whereas it seemed for a brand new developer. Apparently, The Chinese language Room got here aboard not lengthy after that.
The Brighton, U.Okay.-based developer has taken a protracted street to get up to now, too. After discovering a passionate viewers for its eerie narrative video games Expensive Esther and All people’s Gone to the Rapture, in addition to horror spinoff Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, the studio laid off all its employees and closed its workplaces in 2017 as a result of a spot in funding. It was then acquired by by U.Okay. studio group Sumo Digital and started to rebuild, releasing platformer Little Oprheus in 2020 and not too long ago saying first-person narrative horror Nonetheless Wakes the Deep, which can be set for a 2024 launch.
Gamers are “gonna get the immersive, fantastic worlds they’ll lose themselves in, however they’re going discover much more that we haven’t finished earlier than, however continues to be true to us and true to our DNA,” Skidmore stated in a developer announcement video that you could watch beneath.
