Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 returns from the shadows with a new developer

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 has risen from the depths of development hell, two years after Paradox Interactive parted ways with the game's former developer, Hardsuit Labs, and delayed the game indefinitely. The publisher has since recruited Dear Esther and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture studio The Chinese Room to work on the sequel to the original RPG from 2004. Bloodlines 2 is now set to arrive in fall 2024.

The Chinese Room has retained some of the original concepts while tossing out others to reframe Bloodlines 2 in its own vision. The modern-day Seattle setting has survived, as has some of Hardsuit's level and art design. However, creative director Alex Skidmore told PC Gamer that the game now has “a new code base with different gameplay mechanics and RPG systems." You'll play as an elder vampire instead of the fresh face you might be familiar with from the original game, though the protagonist has been in stasis for some time, so you'll be getting used to the wintry setting at the same time as them.

This is a new type of challenge for The Chinese Room, which until now has focused on atmospheric walking simulators infused with mystery, as Polygon notes. Much like its latest project, the studio has endured its own troubles over the years. It nearly shut down entirely in 2017 due to funding issues before Sumo Digital took over and revived it (Sumo Digital itself later found a new owner in the form of Tencent).

We'll find out more about what The Chinese Room has in store for fans in the coming months. Paradox plans to discuss Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 in more depth in January.

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