Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 delayed till later in 2020
No hurry!
The makers of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 have announced a delay for their long-awaited spooky RPG sequel, and I couldn't be happier. They say they need more time to make it proper good and yep, please do take that time. The 2004 Bloodlines is a flawed masterpiece, so promising yet so wonky that fans are dedicated enough to still be patching it up. I'll happily wait a few months longer if it helps avoid a repeat of that. Bloodlines 2 was previously due in 2020 by the end of March, and now it's pushed back nebulously to later in the year. Take your time, eh?
"For the last three and a half years, we've worked hard to bring you a worthy successor to Bloodlines 1," Andy Kipling and Brian Mitsoda of Hardsuit Labs explained in today's announcement. "To us, that meant not only making good on the ambitions of this remarkable game, but also a duty to ensure we would not repeat its mistakes. Today, we have to tell you that we need some more time to get you the game you’ve been waiting for.
The pair say they "firmly believe" the sequel will hit the highs of Bloodlines ("a deep, branching storyline; fascinating and amazingly acted characters; the rich universe of the World of Darkness," they claim) but they're wary of striking the lows too.
They say they have a "responsibility to avoid some of the issues that plagued the first game, which was famously launched too early" and that it recently "became clear that to stick to our original date would risk repeating that mistake." Hence a delay.
Mate I never thought I'd see a sequel and it's already been 15 years, waiting a few months longer is nothing.
Published by Paradox Interactive, Bloodlines 2 is now due at some point in 2020 on Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store.
Our Alice Bee has been lucky to see Bloodlines 2 a fair few times. While you wait, perhaps you might fancy reading her thoughts on the big picture, clan Malkavian, her favourite scary lady, and the dialogue system. Our video crew recently started playing the original Bloodlines too.
Disclosure: Cara Ellison, a former RPS columnist and my former flatmate, is senior narrative designer on Bloodlines 2. I do miss her but I also enjoy the freedom to live disgracefully.