Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Published , by Ozzie Mejia
One of the most pleasant surprises to come along last year was the announcement that HardSuit Labs was hard at work on a sequel to Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. While Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 was targeting an early 2020 release, the game looks to have had a few setbacks and it now looks like it won't make its projected release date. On Wednesday, the development team announced that the game would need a few more months in the oven.
"For the last three and a half years, we’ve worked hard to bring you a worthy successor to Bloodlines 1," Andy Kipling and Brian Mitsoda said in a joint statement on the Bloodlines 2 website. "To us, that meant not only making good on the ambitions of this remarkable game, but also a duty to ensure we would not repeat its mistakes. Today, we have to tell you that we need some more time to get you the game you’ve been waiting for. Although Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 will still launch in 2020, we have decided to value quality over making the Q1 launch window."
Kipling and Mitsoda cited the pitfalls of crunching to meet the original launch date. They noted that the original game was released far too soon and ended up being plagued by bugs and glitches, essentially hitting its cult status in spite of those issues. The team hopes to take the extra time to add polish and offer a greater branching storyline that explores more of the World of Darkness.
Moving away from the Q1 2020 could also prove to be a blessing for HardSuit Labs. This release window is already packed with numerous blockbuster releases, including Cyberpunk 2077, Final Fantasy VII Remake, The Last of Us: Part II, Animal Crossing, and Doom Eternal, just to name a few. A later date means there's a better chance that Bloodlines 2 can thrive without the specter of big-time competition.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is now set to release in late 2020 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.