Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Has Been Delayed to 2021

If they are taking the time to make things better, i wont complain.

good to hear. I can pick it right to PS5 at least.

Good call, it's not wise to go against cyberpunk, better release it on quiet months on early next year.

Flashbacks to 2004

Probably for the best. I'm just impatient, want it now, but understand that this year has been disruptive and this is a huge project.

I'll get this for PS5.

Well, those who remember the bugs and glitches of V:TM- Bloodlines will be happy to hear it. That includes me Good call.

That will be be two VTM games coming next year then, and the werewolf one set in the same universe too.

@JohnnyShoulder Bloodlines is likely to be a little different to other VTM games, as it's a direct sequel to a game based on a different version of the pen and paper system (v2?), and they started making it before v5 was finalised, so they've tweaked a lot to make things fit with the previous game, and with what would make for better gameplay.

As far as I've seen, the other VTM games have been RPG interactive novels or similar, while Bloodlines is an Open-World(lite) ARPG series

I would of chosen this over Cyberpunk anyway.Will be a PS5 buy from me.

Cant say I'm surprised. In fact, I'm actually glad. I thought the first VTM was so cool, way ahead of it's time....except for the bugs and chop. It's great news they're holding themselves to a higher standard. I'd like to think they even have a chance of surpassing Cyberpunk, but after watching the new Cybervid from yesterday, that might be impossible. Just think....six months from now we'll be playing Cyberpunk and VTM2 on gleaming new consoles!! It's an exciting time to be a gamer.

Good news, looked rough around the edges. Also having two pen and paper RPG adaptations in one year might oversaturate the market 😂

Please at least release in a playable state, I’m having flashbacks to the original!

So I wasn't too concerned about the delay until today when I came across this:

https://www.bloodlines2.com/en/an-update-on-the-organizational-changes-for-bloodlines-2

I'm now somewhat worried what it means for the project to be losing two creative leads, not least the two who bring heritage from the cult classic original, and who, if early announcements are to be believed, are a key part of why this sequel is even being made?

Of interest probably to @LordSteev, @nessisonett, @LiamCroft

@theheadofabroom
That does look bad. Brian M. was the guy who wrote most of the original, if I'm not mistaken. This new guy worked on games who's stories were just fluff pieces for action games. I hope most of the work was already done by the old team. This game CAN'T suck...

@LordSteev yeah, I'm really hoping that if there are any creative changes after this change they stick to the source books: Brian Mitsoda proved he could be trusted to deviate while respecting the wider lore and keeping everything feeling connected and, for lack of a better word, weird. This new guy doesn't seem to have a creative track record, everything has been rather by-the-numbers.

Then there's the fact that it was Ka'ai Cluney who saw that the license might be available and convinced Andy Kipling to make the pitch to Paradox, and got Brian Mitsoda onboard, who was rolled out for a hell of a lot of the initial promotion.

This all just leaves a horrible taste in my mouth. I'd been getting very excited for the eventual release and the future DLC, to the point where I've done the inevitable and reinstalled the original for what must be my 15th or more play through. I'm still looking forward to the base game, but I'm no longer planning to buy the season pass at launch. I'm going to need to see how well they treat things and see how the WoD community react.

@theheadofabroom
This from Bluesnews:
An Update on the Bloodlines 2 Website announces "Lead Narrative Designer Brian Mitsoda and Creative Director Ka’ai Cluney are no longer part of the team at Hardsuit Labs." These seem to be the organizational changes alluded to last week when Hardsuit Labs and Paradox Interactive announced Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is being delayed until next year. They say they value the contribution both of them made to the project, but do not explain their dismissal, which they characterize as "a joint decision made by the leadership of Hardsuit Labs and Paradox Interactive." They welcome aboard creative consultant Alexandre Mandryka to act as Creative Director role for Bloodlines 2. Rock Paper Shotgun has a statement from Mitsoda on this news, in which we learn he was actually fired over a month ago:
“Until recently, I was the Narrative Lead on a videogame called Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 for Hardsuit Labs, Inc being published by Paradox Interactive (which owns 30% of Hardsuit Labs). After almost five years involvement with the studio, I was suddenly terminated on 7/16/20.

That this came as a shock to me is underselling it. I’ve worked on Bloodlines 2 for almost five years. The story and main cast was initially conceived in my living room. I helped develop the pitch for Hardsuit Labs and helped pitch the project to Paradox in Las Vegas. I’ve been in charge of the narrative since the beginning, working long days and sometimes weekends to deliver a successor to Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, and I’ve never been led to believe that I hadn’t succeeded. Very obviously, I have also been involved in the PR and marketing side of things, even though it was one of the most difficult parts for me. I’m a pretty private person – press and crowds tend to heavily trigger my social anxiety (which, if you’ve ever wondered about the gloves, they are “armor” that make me feel less exposed in situations that trigger my anxiety).

Bloodlines and the fandom of the game mean the world to me. So I lent my legacy with the franchise, my name, and my participation in marketing efforts for the game, even when it was intensely difficult and took a mental and physical toll. This is all because I wanted to do what was best for the game and the team.

The pride in the work, the fan expectations, and the support from co-workers who started out as fans kept me going through this long five years. And I’m incredibly disappointed and frustrated to say that this is where it ends for me on the project.

I was not part of the conversations that led to the decision to delay production, and to my knowledge, there were no delays caused by the Bloodlines 2 narrative development. I am confident and proud of the work that I and my team put forward. When that work will be seen and what form it will take is unknown to me.

It was a pleasure to work on this game and with many people at Hardsuit Labs and Paradox and I’m sorry I won’t be able to see it to the end. I spent years on some of the best characters and dialogue that I ever wrote. It’s meant a lot to hear from the Bloodlines community and I do hope that what’s finally delivered is as satisfying as I intended it to be. Thanks to all of you who supported me throughout the project.”