Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 - Everything We Know About The Upcoming Action RPG
Two decades after it was first released, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines is finally getting a sequel. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is a choice-driven first-person action RPG built within the same world as the World of Darkness tabletop game series--sort of how Baldur's Gate 3 is a video game built within the framework of Dungeons & Dragons and Cyberpunk 2077 is based on Cyberpunk Red. Below, we go over everything we know about Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2.
Originally being developed by Hardsuit Labs, Bloodlines 2 was eventually handed off to The Chinese Room in 2021. In response to the lengthy development cycle--which would only be longer now that the game would be handed off to another studio--publisher Paradox Interactive announced refunds for all physical and digital editions of Bloodlines 2.
In a June 2023 blog post, Paradox wrote: "We are proactively refunding all preorders 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."
Table of Contents hide- Release date
- What we know
- Platforms
- PC system specs
- Trailers
Release date
Initially slated for Q1 2020, Bloodlines 2 has been delayed several times--first to an unspecified point in 2020, then again to 2021, and then finally to an indefinite point in the future. For a while, it looked like the game might be slated for cancellation.
Then, in September 2023, publisher Paradox Interactive announced The Chinese Room had taken over the development of Bloodlines 2 back in 2021. Subsequently, a new Fall 2024 release window was announced.
What we know
Bloodlines 2 is only the latest video game to be based on the World of Darkness, a collection of tabletop game systems that have you play as legendary fantastical creatures who secretly (or not so secretly) live alongside humans in a fictional variation of Earth. Of the lot, Vampire: The Masquerade is the most popular, likely explaining why it's the one regularly used for video game adaptations. There have been several Vampire: The Masquerade games already--2000's Redemption, 2004's Bloodlines, 2022's Swansong, and 2022's Bloodhunt. Beyond Vampire: The Masquerade, there have been a few video games set in the lycanthropic-focused Werewolf: The Apocalypse--2020's Heart of the Forest and 2021's Earthblood.
In Bloodlines 2, you play an elder vampire in modern-day Seattle who finds themselves at the forefront of a three-way war between the various clans who all want a bite out of the city. Your actions and choices will influence the balance of power in Seattle, but you're not an all-powerful individual who can get away with whatever they want. Not only will you need to find ways to feed on blood to fuel your powerful vampiric abilities, but you also need to remain careful of the Masquerade--an agreement among vampires that none will ever reveal their existence to the mortal human world.
Platforms
Bloodlines 2 is set to launch for Xbox Series X S, PS5, and PC.
PC system specs
The system requirements for Bloodlines 2 have not yet been revealed.
Trailers
There have been a few trailers for Bloodlines 2. In September 2023, The Chinese Room released a trailer that announced Bloodlines 2's Fall 2024 release window and showcased some of the game's first-person combat. Though fans said that they enjoyed the look of the combat, many expressed concern at the lack of narrative and RPG elements in the trailer--both of which are far larger staples to the Vampire: The Masquerade tabletop game than combat. In answer to these concerns, The Chinese Room followed up with a livestream in October 2023 that delved into the game's story-driven elements and themes.
Since then, The Chinese Room has released a few short video snippets for Bloodlines 2 that go into the various vampire clans that rule over Seattle. You'll choose to play as one of the clans at the start of the game, each of which has a preferred playstyle. We've seen gameplay of the melee-focused Brujah, magically-inclined Tremere, and stealthy Banu Haqim.
