Paradox Interactive is pushing refunds to all those who pre-ordered physical copies of the heavily delayed Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, while digital refunds are optional. The company also promises that a game re-reveal will take place in September of this year, showcasing the work being done by the game’s new developer.
Their update on the game reads:
It’s been quite a while between updates while we’ve had our heads down working on the game. We remain just as dedicated to delivering a great Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines game as we were when we announced, and are looking forward to showing you more in September this year.
We acknowledge it was a long time ago that many of you pre-ordered Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. As development continues, we will be updating the game’s editions and bonus content, and we want to provide the best value to those of you who supported us via digital pre-order after all this time. We are thus offering refunds to anyone who has pre-ordered any edition of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. As part of this process, we are proactively refunding all pre-orders of physical products, including the Collector’s Edition. The digital versions of the First Blood Edition, Unsanctioned Edition and Blood Moon Edition remain, but can be refunded if you choose.
Paradox has also released an FAQ on the matter.
Some new “post-alpha” screenshots have been released, giving us a rough idea of where the game’s development is currently at.
Announced in March 2019, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 was originally in the hands of Seattle-based Hardsuit Labs, the studio having pitched the game shortly after Paradox Interactive acquired White Wolf and the World of Darkness IP in October 2015. Intended for release in 2020, Paradox delayed the game as the team adapted to working through the pandemic, faced a delay in receiving PS5 and Xbox Series X|S dev kits, and more fundamentally, had changes in leadership. Creative Director Ka’ai Cluney and narrative lead Brian Mitsoda were both shown the door, and senior writer Cara Ellison departed soon after, all with little explanation.
Then, in February 2021, Paradox announced that Hardsuit was no longer working on the game and that they would be collaborating with another developer to finish it up. Who that developer is is actually still unknown, though Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester said at the time that it is “a very reputable and talented developer”. Not long after, it was stated that Paradox considered cancelling the project outright instead of finding a new developer.
By September it will have been two and a half years since the new team took over, and so there should be plenty to show of their work. We don’t know if development was completely rebooted, or if they took on the previous work from Hardsuit Labs, though I’m sure we’ll find out.
Source: Paradox
