What just happened? Are you looking forward to playing Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 this year? Unfortunately, it will no longer be launching in 2021. The game's development hell isn't showing signs of improving, either: Hardsuit Labs, which was leading the project, has been booted by developer Paradox, and pre-orders are no longer being accepted.
The first Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, released back in 2004, is a much-loved RPG---especially by this writer---and the sequel has been highly anticipated. But signs of trouble arrived last year when the original launch month of March 2020 was changed to an unspecified date in 2020 because the studio valued "quality over making the Q1 launch window."
Bloodlines 2's problems became more apparent last summer. It suffered a second delay, this time to 2021, and there was mention of "organizational changes."
Paradox revealed in its latest earnings report that Bloodlines 2 will not be launching this year. "We have now chosen to postpone the release of [Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2] further, and we will not be launching the game in 2021," it states.
What's more worrying is that the game's lead developer, Hardsuit Labs, is being replaced. "We have started a collaboration with a new studio partner to finish work on the game. This has been a difficult decision, but we are convinced that it is the right way forward to do the game justice," wrote Paradox.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 has been beset with problems for some time now. Its narrative lead and the creative director were fired last year. This came after narrative designer Chris Avellone had his work removed from the game following sexual harassment allegations against the veteran writer from people within the industry.