World of Darkness Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 from Hardsuit Labs

[Dodo1610]

Spiders are were bought by Nacom as were Cyanide
PB is part of Thq Nordic

They should outsource it to China there are lots of stdudios that specialize in helping studios to finish their games.

 

[prengle]

this neverending nightmare just keeps going on and on and on with no end in sight

has there ever actually been a game with a mid-development developer shift that actually turned out ok? i'm struggling to name a single one. and if motherfucking microsoft actually does buy out paradox then that'd be the most poignant ending imaginable to this shitshow of a project

 

[Riddler]

 

[Azdul]

I hope to fuck this means they'll be re-doing everything from combat to worldbuilding. All of the gameplay footage we got from Hardsuit looked like boring mash LMB2win trash with disciplines just thrown in as an afterthought, and the overly modern locations had absolutely none of the neo-gothic aesthetic VTM:B is known for.

I can guarantee that neo-gothic aesthetic is the last thing on their minds right now. It's a dumpster fire with multiple millions of $$$ already invested in it. They will release it whenever first tester completes first 3 quests without crashing and without dropping below 10 fps, just to put the smell of failure behind them.

 

[Perkel]

Well project was dead when Mitsoda was out.

 

[Dexter]

They'll probably hand it over to an Internal Studio and try to save what's salvageable?: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_Interactive#Studios

Which of these has experience with Unreal Engine development? Maybe Harebrained, since they're also from Seattle and could maybe absorb some of the people that worked on it for "experience"?

 

[Jinn]

Hire Mitsoda back, get some competent CRPG devs working on it, and salvage this baby for a 2023 release. If the above doesn't happen, it's dead and going to turn into that mediocre Werewolf game shit out by Cyanide recently.

The fact that it is getting pulled from the pure clusterfuck incompetency that is Hardsuit is the best thing that's happened to this project in a couple years at least.

 

[Perkel]

https://twitter.com/jachilli

Vampires ?

 

[Larianshill]

Clearly the game should be handled by Larian.

Without a hint of irony, yes.

has there ever actually been a game with a mid-development developer shift that actually turned out ok?

I can only remember Metal Gear Rising.

 

[fantadomat]

Oh boy, entertainment for months and years on end.

Yeah,it is amazing how this days the threads are more entertaining than the games.

 

[Atlantico]

There was, earlier this month, a vague rumor about a "Discussion" between Microsoft and Paradox...

https://www.reddit.com/r/GamingLeak...ick_from_xboxera_says_microsoft_are_in_talks/

If that's real, then it went something like this:

Paradox sends out a tentacle to Microsoft's tentacles and confides in them that VtmB2 is FUBAR.

Microsoft, having a lot of RPG talent under their ownership at the moment, and not much to do with them, has a brilliant executive idea!

Move VtmB2 to one of Microsoft's development studios, and make it a joint venture between Microsoft and Paradox. XBox exclusivity, ofc.

Paradox gets a reliable developer, a risk-sharing partner and a clear path forward, for x% of profits.

 

[Rieser]

Now this is fucking funny.

 

[Xelocix]

I hope to fuck this means they'll be re-doing everything from combat to worldbuilding. All of the gameplay footage we got from Hardsuit looked like boring mash LMB2win trash with disciplines just thrown in as an afterthought, and the overly modern locations had absolutely none of the neo-gothic aesthetic VTM:B is known for.

I can guarantee that neo-gothic aesthetic is the last thing on their minds right now. It's a dumpster fire with multiple millions of $$$ already invested in it. They will release it whenever first tester completes first 3 quests without crashing and without dropping below 10 fps, just to put the smell of failure behind them.

Yeah I know, one can hope though.

 

[Testownia]

Unironically a very based move on Paradox's part. Also yet another evidence that SJW studios can't design games. Also I've heard they're going to introduce a fresh new project lead. Some guy named Brian.

 

[Belegarsson]

Wonder what small medium sized studio can be hired to salvage this shit.

The only thing they can salvage from Hardsuit Labs works is probably just assets? Maaaybe the storyboards as well.

For Action RPG there is.. Spider? The team has experience of getting game out with limited budget but with decent enough result.

Piranha Bytes? Besides ELEX 2 are they even working on something?

That HBS hiring means that they are expanding and might be another choice but I don't think they have the record in making action RPG. Their fully 3D game also run like absolute ass.

Cyanide is probably another strong contender. They are very much like Spider, limited budget decent/mediocre stuff. They also have just finished the Werewolf games and that means Paradox already has a working relationship with them.

If Obsidion didn't get bought by Micrsoft they probably is another candidate as well but right now I don't think that's possible.

Arkane Studi seems like a logical choice because the kind of games they are making, but same as Obsidian, Zenimax and its subsidiary has been Mircrosoft-ed so very unlikely we will see them.

I don't think there any small-mid sized development studio in Murica that specialized in RPG that is still independent?

IMO the nu-Deus Ex team from Eidos Montreal paired with inXile's Wasteland 3 writers would be the ideal option. Eidos proved they can craft well realized hub based structure, and WL3 surprisingly had sharp writing with a lot of edges. Wishful thinking though.

 

[Black]

 

[LESS T_T]

There are practically no independent AA(A) studios with RPG experience left. THQ Nordic/Embracer (how many?), Nacon (Spiders, Cyanide), and Focus (Deck13) absorbed most of them in Europe, and Microsoft did in US.

Tapping into companies specialized in co-development is probable imo. Like Certain Affinity, Behaviour Interactive, Sumo Digital, and Asobo. They may not be specialized in RPGs, but they at least have competency in execution and some have experiences with open world action things.

If they really want to tap into a studio with RPG experiences, doing partnership with publishers like THQ Nordic, Nacon, or Focus would be viable, I think. Before all these dramas, Bloodlines 2 was one of the most hyped RPGs in recent years after all.

 

[FreeKaner]

It's not coming out.

I had said it back in 2019.

 

[Bad Sector]

Hmmm spiders will be a good march studio the game.

For Action RPG there is.. Spider? The team has experience of getting game out with limited budget but with decent enough result.

I like Spiders' games but their main strength is coming up with random weird worlds, however the stories they tell in these worlds aren't that great and a VtMB already has an established world while it'd need some good story. It'd be a bad fit for them.

Though TBH i can't think of any studio that could make a VtMB-style game, it isn't like games like it are common in the first place.

 

[Roguey]

I'm surprised they actually did what needed to be done. Turns out "Paradox can’t let studio fail yet, so there is some job security unless they don’t like you but they won’t tell you until too late" and "As long as big project going, some short-term security" were a bit too optimistic. Infinitron was right, Bloodlines 2 is too big for them to give up on.

Mitsoda's the asshole who got them into this mess in the first place by approaching them with a fellow grifter and an unqualfied shovelware studio, so it seems unlikely to me they'd ask for him back. Though they're Swedes, so I suppose forgiveness may be possible.

 

[Delterius]

All I have left is my faith and approximately 2% of US GDP in pre orders.

 

[Wesp5]

Which of these has experience with Unreal Engine development? Maybe Harebrained, since they're also from Seattle and could maybe absorb some of the people that worked on it for "experience"?

This looks like a logical choice to me. Can somebody check LinkedIn for names that might have moved there ? I never played a game from them though, so I wouldn't know if they could manage it...

 

[Ol' Willy]

Spiders' games

Spiders games are not real RPGs, though

 

[Heroic Liberator]

I never played a game from them

You should definitely check out the Shadowrun Returns series (preferably going straight to Dragonfall since Dead Man's Switch was more of a test run for the mechanics rather than a properly chiseled campaign).

 

[Delterius]

Nobody will entertain it but they know.

It is gonna be BioWare.