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

[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.

 

[CyberModuled]

Just woke up and this news basically made my day. The only thing that could make it better is if we start getting leaks from an ex-Hardsuit staff member who might've been just a bit less woke than the rest and discussed the dumb shit they planned to put in the game (and given 2020, no way they wouldn't have crammed something that would've been outdated by 2021).

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...

Nah, Harebrained have only used Unity for both Shadowrun and Battletech so unless they've been training their staff with it recently, I doubt they'll take the reins. Also BL2 was considered "AAA" to Paradox so that alone makes me somewhat doubt they'll be taking over (because giving it to a studio who did UE3 shovelware and some F2P shooter was clearly the AAA path to go in the first place...)

 

[Larianshill]

You people should cool it with mocking comments, think of every poor consumer who preordered this game for the stop sign and Jeanette's miniskirt. What do you think they are going through now?

Spoiler

 

[Justicar]

DEAD GAME

 

[Enkidu]

Well. It can't decline if its not released

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Lord almighty, did they hire Duke Nukem Forever developers to make this?

 

[Lovely Feather Pillow]

 

[fantadomat]

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.

Well actually their writing is pretty decent,not amazing but still above anything kwan could produce. Their main problem...if we could say that,is the lack of resources aka small budged. Their visual environment is pretty good. The strength of bloodlines were the setting and not the writing or the combat. The important part is the world/level design and the exploration for a good bloodline game. Also a bit of creepy gory shit like the snuff film part and the haunted hotel. I think that spider could do a good bloodlines set in night paris,running around killing marocans and shit.

 

[Delterius]

In fact, my hopes for the World of Darkness mmo have risen 3000%.

 

[fantadomat]

Nobody will entertain it but they know.

It is gonna be BioWare.

Nah they have their slimy hands full with mass erect and Tranny age.

 

[Storyfag]

In fact, my hopes for the World of Darkness mmo have risen 3000%.

A grand strategy would be more fitting. And completely within Paradox's capabilities.

 

[Ghulgothas]

Oh man, thank you all for a great thread on this begotten version of the game's rise and fall. No matter what form this frankenstein ends up taking under new development, there needs to be some marker immortalizing what it once was.

 

[sser]

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.

Well actually their writing is pretty decent,not amazing but still above anything kwan could produce. Their main problem...if we could say that,is the lack of resources aka small budged. Their visual environment is pretty good. The strength of bloodlines were the setting and not the writing or the combat. The important part is the world/level design and the exploration for a good bloodline game. Also a bit of creepy gory shit like the snuff film part and the haunted hotel. I think that spider could do a good bloodlines set in night paris,running around killing marocans and shit.

I think Spiders/Cyanide have top tier writers, they're just operating within the constraints of what little resources they have. I'd love to see them get a shot at a huge title like this (though I imagine they'll just hand it to Harebrained).

 

[Delterius]

You guys know the last time you started listing rational choices for studios we ended up with Hardsuit Labs, right?

Every time someone says 'they'll probably give this to the shadowrun bunnies studio' the chances of a little estonian company increases tenfold.

 

[fantadomat]

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.

Well actually their writing is pretty decent,not amazing but still above anything kwan could produce. Their main problem...if we could say that,is the lack of resources aka small budged. Their visual environment is pretty good. The strength of bloodlines were the setting and not the writing or the combat. The important part is the world/level design and the exploration for a good bloodline game. Also a bit of creepy gory shit like the snuff film part and the haunted hotel. I think that spider could do a good bloodlines set in night paris,running around killing marocans and shit.

I think Spiders/Cyanide have top tier writers, they're just operating within the constraints of what little resources they have. I'd love to see them get a shot at a huge title like this (though I imagine they'll just hand it to Harebrained).

Oh yeah,they will give it to those sjws for sure. Which is really stupid because they won't be able to do a third person open world rpg for sure. Their forte is making top down TB rpgs with trannies in them. It will be a huge mess if they give it to harebraindead.