Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 delayed beyond 2021 as developer is pulled off project
More misfortune hits Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 as Paradox Interactive has pulled developer Hardsuit Labs off the project and delayed the game out of a 2021 launch.
After what was looking like a promising new outing for the Vampire: The Masquerade franchise in its 2019 reveals, Bloodlines 2 has seen no shortage of misfortune. Delay after delay has hit the game in addition to key talent exiting lead development roles. It doesn’t seem like the end is in sight either. Publisher Paradox Interactive has officially announced that Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 developer Hardsuit Labs has been pulled off the game and it has been pushed out of the 2021 release window.
Paradox Interactive announced this latest development regarding Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 via the game’s Twitter on February 23, 2021. According to the official announcement, Hardsuit Labs has exited lead development of the project and, as a direct result, a 2021 launch is no longer possible.
“We have made the hard decision that Hardsuit Labs will no longer be leading the development of Bloodlines 2 - which also means that we will not be releasing in 2021 as previously planned,” the statement reads. “Since we cannot at this time communicate a new release date, we’ve also decided to stop accepting pre-orders for the time being.”
In case you are unable to access the website, you can read the Bloodlines 2 Development Update right here. pic.twitter.com/kdTp5gpBJe
— Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 (@VtM_Bloodlines) February 23, 2021
It’s the latest in a long line of bad news for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 that began with a delay to late 2020 back in October 2019. Then, despite a promising trailer during Xbox’s next-gen showcases, it fell back further to 2021. Perhaps most troubling was in August 2020, when the creative director and narrative lead of the game, the latter being longtime franchise writer and contributor Brian Mitsoda, were fired and removed from development on Bloodlines 2.
With Hardsuit Labs officially off the project, it’s a uniquely rough situation Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 finds itself in. It will remain to be seen if Paradox Interactive can find a new developer that will better fit the project, but with no new release window to speak of, the future of Bloodlines 2 is looking foggier than ever.
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replyTJ Denzer posted a new article, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 delayed beyond 2021 as developer is pulled off project
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Vampire: Bloodlines 2 update
-Game no longer coming out in 2021
-Hardsuit Labs no longer developing it
-Preorders no longer accepted
https://twitter.com/VtM_Bloodlines/status/1364124564620517378/photo/1
RIP?-
They confirm right from the top that it’s still in development.
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I feel this game was dead as soon as they announced it.
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So is the Duke Nukem movie.
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Ugh. Whhhhhhhhhhhy?
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Ah shit! A native Seattle developer was part of what made the authenticity of the setting. Wonder what the hell is going on with development. In a sense, I never expected there to be a sequel in the first place so if it never ends up happening it's feels more a reversion to the mean. Kinds like System Shock 3...
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I'm thinking back to an interaction I had with a guy who worked at Hardsuit Labs. I work at a retail store in the electronics section and a guy walked in wearing a Hardsuit Labs hoodie. I was like "Hey!!!! Hope Bloodlines 2 is going well!" he seemed really surprised that I recognized the studio and gave a pretty apprehensive "Yeah... crossing my fingers, I really hope it turns out well" kind of response.
I assumed at the time he was nervous because of the stature of the first game but I wonder what kind of stuff was really on his mind there.
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Well it wouldn’t be a Vampire: The Masquerade game if it wasn’t completely fucked in development.
I’m curious if this means they’re starting all over or if they’re bringing in someone to unfuck the game as it is now.
Like are they bringing in doctors or is this like when a movie studio decides to fire the director and bring in someone who will do what they say?-
I mean the parallels with the original bloodlines certainly are there, but the original's main issues were the engine, Source and the fact that Activision underfunded them. Development ceased 6 months before release because Activision couldn't be arsed to pour more money into it.
And it was always Troïka afaik, without much changes in leading people, Troïka pulls all kinds of miracles, besides possibly Resurection.
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Welp...guess we can officially write this one off. What a damn shame.
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Or at the very least stop waiting for it.
Like when Nintendo announced Metroid Prime 4 was starting over we knew it would be a long time before it came out but at least we're reasonably certain it will be finished and see the light of day.
With this game, with its history, and the history of the franchise, it's like.... yeah, if it comes out that's cool, but no more "oh man when is it going to come out?"
Watching things like this and Cyberpunk are interesting to me because they're these highly anticipated games... that I couldn't care less about. I mean if it comes out and it's good (and for the most part CP2077 has been a big "no") I might check it out but it's not like Half-Life 3 where it has mythical status in my mind
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Meanwhile, Wesp5 is STILL pushing out Vampire: Bloodlines 1 unofficial patch updates.
https://www.moddb.com/mods/vtmb-unofficial-patch
(direct download: https://www.patches-scrolls.de/patch/4647/7/75297)
The latest one is dated February 9, 2021. This guy is dedicated. -
Come on, Microsoft, snatch it up and give it to Obsidian.
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Oof, this is reminding me of what happened with KSP2.
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Making AAA games in 2021 is hard.
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I am feeling like this is the fall of the old Wild West style game biz broski managers from a decade+ back. Can’t say I’m sad about it.
Will it mean more companies run strictly by the bean counters, going F2P? Absolutely yes. Will it mean real talent will consolidate at the few studios that treat their creative teams with respect and/or get many more talented people into the indie space? Yes to that too.
Overall, I welcome these tectonic shifts...for now. But get back to me in two years, when we start seeing some of the actual results of these shakeups. The verdict is out.-
Free to play isn't a BAD thing if it's done right. I've long had the idea that "Star Citizen" should go free to play but only allow those people who paid for the game package to own a ship. This way some kid can sign on with a crew in a ship and earn money to buy stuff in game. If the kid wants to own a ship though he has to become a "citizen" for the low price of $39.99 :P
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You mean the Warzone, Fortnite, and GTA Online model? Because yeah, it's already happening, and is proven wildly successful financially. The future of gaming is basically crack cocaine casinos in disguise.
Sucks. -
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good lord this is a cluster fuck.. i don't even want this game anymore.
They pull the lead writer and the director that worked on the 1st game off the project. The narrative being one of the most important things that made the 1st one what it is.
Now they remove the entire studio, along with everyone who worked on the 1st game...
Replaced them with a bunch of rando's to be headed up by some ex Ubisoft douchebag just to "get it done."
At least will still have Cyberpun... well shit.. -
The demo did not look very good, unfortunately.
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