If you’ve been waiting to hear news about Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, we’re saddened to say there’s a new update on the game’s progress, and it’s not a good one.
Earlier today, Paradox Entertainment shared a development update for the game which begins by explaining that Hardsuit Labs is no longer working on the project.
Yes, Hardsuit Labs is off the project entirely. Adding to this, the game’s release date has been delayed but as of right now, doesn’t seem to have been cancelled.
Hardsuit Labs No Longer Developing Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
In a post from Paradox Entertainment on the Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 website, it was confirmed that Hardsuit Labs is no longer developing the game. From the text, it sounds like the decision was made by Paradox Entertainment.
With the game now lacking a development team, its release date has been delayed. Originally, the game was scheduled to release this year. An updated release date has yet to be provided. Below, you’ll find the full update from Paradox Entertainment:
“As you have noticed, we’ve been keeping pretty quiet for a while. With this in mind, the first piece of news we have for you is to confirm that Bloodlines 2 is still in development.
Secondly, we have made the hard decision that Hardsuit Labs will no longer be leading the development of Bloodlines 2 – which also means that we will not be releasing in 2021 as previously planned. Since we cannot at this time communicate a new release date, we’ve also decided to stop accepting pre-orders for the time being.
This game is very important to us and it has been an ambitious project from the very start. In order to meet our goals for it, we’ve come to the conclusion that a change is needed and, as a result, more development time is required.
We’d like to take this opportunity to honor Hardsuit Labs for their efforts and thank them for their hard work on the project. The studio has done a tremendous job in laying the foundations for the game and we hope that you, the community, will also appreciate their contribution to Bloodlines 2.
We’re thankful for your continuous support throughout the game’s development. We understand how important this is to you, and we’d love to share more with you. As soon as we can, we’ll let you know what the future development team of Bloodlines 2 will look like.”
If you’ve been following the news about Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 lately, you may recall that senior writers Ka’ai Cluney and Brian Mitsoda were pulled from the project. This was followed by the departure of the game’s senior narrative designer Cara Ellison.
It’s always concerning to hear of a core writing team being fragmented the way the Hardsuit Labs team was, especially when working on an expansive project like Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2.
It sounds like there were a number of challenges that Hardsuit Labs faced, and these challenges may have been among the factors in Paradox Entertainment’s decision to cut the studio entirely.
No matter what, we’re sad to hear about the issues with the game’s development as we were among those looking forward to seeing the game’s release in 2021. The only piece of good news is that this isn’t the final stake to the heart of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2.
We’re curious who Paradox Entertainment will turn to when it comes to completing the game, and as soon as more information is shared, we’ll be sure to update you here at Prima Games.
In the meantime, what are your thoughts on the removal of Hardsuit Labs from Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2? Let us know over on our social media channels including Facebook and Twitter!
