'Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2" To Be Delayed This 2021, Developers Kicked Out as Pre-Orders Are Stopped!

Joen Coronel, Tech Times 23 February 2021, 07:02 am

Paradox announced that the sequel of the "Vampire: The Masquerade" hit an unfortunate opportunity, as the game will be delayed again after its game trailer came out in 2019.

This year, the game is planned to be available since the publisher is already accepting pre-orders now, but now they have all stopped. What's much worse is that they cannot continue with its present developers Hardsuit Labs, after they were removed from the game project.

What the Paradox Says About the Unexpected Change

According to Paradox Interactive, the game publisher's official page, the company decided to delay the launch of the "Vampire: The Masquerades Bloodlines 2" this 2021, so this will be another extension of postponement.

Furthermore, it turned out that they will now be parting ways with Hardsuit Labs, the game developer that started the project two years ago. Paradox continued that they will now seek a new studio partner to carry out the rest of the game while it is still under development.

"This has been a difficult decision, but we are convinced that it is the right way forward to do the game justice," the company said in their year-end report 2020.

The removal of Hardsuit was not new already to the scene as the previous collaborators of the sequel were also fired by the company, particularly the creative writers and directors. The recent news only piled up as another layer of its delay.

However, what happened to "Vampire Bloodlines 2" also happened to other games like "Anthem," "Halo Infinite," and "Cyberpunk," so this postponement only follows a usual pattern of the said video games.

While delays are normal when creating games, firing an entire crew seems beyond unimaginable for a company that seeks profit through game publishing and development.

What continues to baffle the head of the fans is the 'new studio partner' behind this major transition since gamers already tirelessly wait for its launch since the first installment of the "Masquerade" series took place in 2004.

Pre-Orders Are Halted for 'Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2'

As a fan, it is devastating to know that your favorite will not continue anymore this year. However, what's more heart-breaking than a break-up is your canceled game pre-order, which you possibly wait for some months, according to an article written by Luke Plunkett of Kotaku.

In the end, Paradox thanked Hardsuit for all their hard work that they have done in the game. They commended the developers for the foundation of the game, as well as their contribution to "Bloodlines 2."

Speculations on Reddit About Paradox's Abrupt Decision

A decade-long wait for a loyal "Vampire Bloodlines 2" fan was put in vain with the game publisher's latest announcement. However, the Reddit community formed some speculations about why Paradox fired Hardsuit Labs.

A Reddit user named LokiLyesmyth, the company could have politically addressed the issue, especially in the case of firing narrative lead Brian Mitsoda and creative director Ka'ai Cluney. In conjunction with a past leak, the two could have disagreed with the desire of Paradox to add some 'changes' in the game in the case of political contents.

Regarding Hardsuit Labs' firing, the main poster said that the Washington-based developer also suffered the same fate similar to Cluney and Mitsoda. It could also be possible because what they want to improve in the game was not implemented since it did not satisfy what Paradox wanted.