World of Darkness Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 - VTMB sequel from The Chinese Room - coming early 2025

[Jenkem]

GOTY.

I fucking told you guys.

 

[Caim]

Are you really a part of the world if you join it hundreds of centuries later, awoken from torpor?

Let me explain my point better.

What RPG designers often do is try to make it so that when you see something for the first time as a player, it's also the first time for your character. It allows for a lesser disconnect between player knowledge and character knowledge. That's one reason why Troika went with a newly made vampire.

Another is that the game was about you as the underdog. Street level guy getting into a game with bigger stakes, fighting the odds against you. But in the end, you realize you never figured out the full picture, and were still a pawn. The world was bigger than you, still mysterious. Both reasons are probably reasons why they went even further by casting you as a thinblood in BL2.

Now, it could still be done by casting you as an Elder. Wake up in a world that has changed so much you don't recognize it, it no longer is your world. The rules, the values, the way of life is alien to you. Life moved on from you, you lost all status you had. No one respects the Elders anymore. That would make you an underdog, a jaded old curmudgeon of the old world against the new. That would be interesting, despite having a disconnect between player and character knowledge. The character would come with a lot of baggage, and melancholy would be a strong theme.

But do you think they'll do that? Or are they just casting you as a Mary Sue, a Captain Marvel-type, an aristocrat in a playground without earning it? A progressive here to judge the "old order" in which you wake up in?

A former radical with whom time has caught up with can be an interesting character, but why have that when lmao blood magic.

 

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

The trailer isn't exactly thrilling visually, but then again technical prowess and good combat were never strong points of the original.
I guess hoping for something that would aim to improve on the predecessor, rather than striving for the goal of barely matching it (technological gap considered) was foolish to begin with.
At least I hope they put decent effort in animating those close-ups during dialogues, since they were a defining feature of what gave Bloodlines its vibe.

For the rest, very little to say about the game itself (story, progression, etc), since we simply were not given enough material to form anything more than a superficial impression.

 

[Jenkem]

Seems to be to be the same result in the end. What I have seen from the Thinbloods of HSL BL2 they were more powerful than normal vampires too! Also don't forget how overpowered the player ends up in Bloodlines. Is this really a good thing to already start off that strong? Also how would an Elder react to the modern world?

Maybe you have to "re-learn" your powers since you've been sleeping too long, or maybe you were awoken using some non-standard method that fucked with your abilities, like how Samus loses all her shit at the start of every game or a PB game

Big mistake to give to a business focused and oriented studio (take the money and deliver a poor product at the end

but they took it away from hardsuit labs... are you really calling the chinese room a "business focused" studio? have you seen the games they have released? when I think of a business focused studio I don't think of people who have made mostly artsy walking simulators, unless you think those are a huge cash cow or something.

 

[Jenkem]

I never doubted. The torpor will be over soon. What is time to the kindred?

 

[Reever]

 

[ArchAngel]

Well almost no dangerhairs so I guess something positive (there was one in the background for 0.5s ).

 

[Cricket McBangle]

Seems to be to be the same result in the end. What I have seen from the Thinbloods of HSL BL2 they were more powerful than normal vampires too! Also don't forget how overpowered the player ends up in Bloodlines. Is this really a good thing to already start off that strong? Also how would an Elder react to the modern world?

Maybe you have to "re-learn" your powers since you've been sleeping too long, or maybe you were awoken using some non-standard method that fucked with your abilities, like how Samus loses all her shit at the start of every game or a PB game

Big mistake to give to a business focused and oriented studio (take the money and deliver a poor product at the end

but they took it away from hardsuit labs... are you really calling the chinese room a "business focused" studio? have you seen the games they have released? when I think of a business focused studio I don't think of people who have made mostly artsy walking simulators, unless you think those are a huge cash cow or something.

There is literally no one from the walking simulator days in The Chinese Room anymore. Even the founder of the studio left a short while ago.

This is basically a new studio with some Bioware, Rocksteady and someone from Hogwarts Legacy

 

[Infinitron]

Press release: https://www.paradoxinteractive.com/...-2-is-back-in-development-by-the-chinese-room

SEATTLE – September 2, 2023 – Paradox Interactive announced that The Chinese Room, a Sumo Digital studio, is developing the highly-anticipated Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 during today’s PAX West keynote. The Chinese Room brings their award-winning storytelling to Bloodlines 2, creating a high-quality Vampire: The Masquerade action RPG by talented developers with triple-A experience. Fans eager to sink their teeth into Bloodlines 2 can look forward to the gameplay reveal in January 2024 and its launch in Fall 2024.

Check out the 2023 announcement trailer here: https://youtu.be/D6b6LGubq6I

Watch this introduction video for more information about The Chinese Room and the team working on Bloodlines 2: https://youtu.be/2clSTM3UvTo

The Chinese Room is known for creating ground-breaking first-person titles that have won awards from BAFTA, TIGA, and more for their emotionally rich narratives. The studio’s world-class background makes them well-equipped to tell a Vampire story set in modern Seattle reimagined for a World of Darkness action RPG.

“Vampire: The Masquerade holds a special place in our hearts. The story world’s dark setting filled with intricate narratives built on top of modern society perfectly fits our studio’s catalog,” Ed Daly, Studio Director at The Chinese Room, said. “Bloodlines 2 is our most ambitious project to date. Fans of the franchise have been eagerly awaiting this game, and we are up to the challenge. We are bringing more than 15 years of award-winning experience to the project, creating a game that honors the legacy of its predecessor while bringing its gameplay to the modern era.”

“We were immediately impressed when we saw The Chinese Room’s proposal for Bloodlines 2. They have a true passion for the source material, making them ideal partners to develop a story in the Vampire: The Masquerade setting that resonates with players,” Sean Greaney, Vice President of World of Darkness at publisher Paradox Interactive, said. “We are committed to making Bloodlines 2 a success. Bringing on a studio that shares our vision was critical to helping us achieve these goals. Fans of the franchise can rest assured knowing that Bloodlines 2 is in good hands, and we will have more to share with you in January.”

Bloodlines 2 is the successor to the cult-classic Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. Bloodlines 2 takes players to the dark underbelly of Seattle, where vampires struggle for survival and supremacy. As an Elder vampire, players meet compelling characters, maneuver complex political relationships, stalk the city streets for prey, and engage in intense combat while balancing the need for blood. Throughout the game, players must always be mindful of their surroundings or risk breaking the Masquerade – the absolute law of secrecy that keeps vampire society hidden from humanity.

To learn more about Bloodlines 2, visit the official website, follow #Bloodlines2 on all social media platforms, and join the community on the game’s Discord.

You can find the press kit here.

 

[ArchAngel]

No guns or melee weapons.

Why do undead predators use their fists, are they stupid?

Guns are messy and loud. Also you cannot bite your target from a gun range.

 

[deuxhero]

Starting off as a moderately powerful vampire with some age who has absolutely no connections, no knowledge of the modern world, and no assets seems like it's doable. Relearning seems like a decent enough excuse for a tutorial. Actually reminds me of the Generation advantage in the tabletop game: You can only raise it during character creation, so it's relatively common to see a character with "maxed out" generation (for a starting character) at the cost of all their social connections (etc.) that could be bought with those same points. The real question is how you introduce the player character to computers, cars, cell phones, digital cameras, internet etc.

 

[ArchAngel]

Oh hey actual details about the story. https://www.pcgamer.com/vampire-the...different-gameplay-mechanics-and-rpg-systems/

The Chinese Room has kept Bloodlines 2's initial planned setting of Seattle, and while Greaney noted that they "have been able to reuse a significant amount of art and level design" from Hardsuit's project, Skidmore was quick to clarify that The Chinese Room is using "a new code base with different gameplay mechanics and RPG systems." Bloodlines 2 is also still set at yuletide, but is now in the grips of a historic snowstorm, and Bloodlines 2's new trailer and concept art remind me of the OG Max Payne's grimy, modern NYC Ragnarök.

We're also getting a completely different sort of protagonist than Hardsuit Labs had planned. Bloodlines 2 was to originally star a recently-turned "thin blood" vampire. In World of Darkness rules, older is better, and the legendary bloodlines of Antediluvian vampire patriarchs have diluted over the millennia⁠—they just don't make new-gen vamps like they used to.

"We don't want it to be just a sort of poor homage or pastiche of Bloodlines 1. We want it to be its own thing," Skidmore explained. "We're not doing what Bloodlines 1 did, which is a traditional RPG game start: the very first day you're a vampire. The actual character you are has been a vampire for quite a while. And that was to create something different from Bloodlines to give a different experience."

Bloodlines 2 will now star an "Elder" vampire awoken from an indeterminate torpor (read: long-ass vampire nap), and going off old Vampire: The Masquerade rules, you get Elder status after 300 years of undeath. Since Bloodlines 1's days, a joint Vatican-global intelligence "Second Inquisition" has hit the vampire underground hard, culling its ranks. An ancient, supremely powerful big boy vampire waking up in Seattle is a bit of an event.

Skidmore seems keen on striking a balance between having this ancient be an established character, and letting the player sketch out their vamp of choice: "You have enough that you can fill in the character a bit as you go and roleplay, but they're also an established thing that you understand as aspirational."

"Eat shit, Brian 'thinblood' Mitsoda" - The Chinese Room

I never liked their thinblood idea, this sounds much better.

 

[deuxhero]

And Twitter reveals lead writer is pronoun freak. Into the trash it goes.

 

[Tyranicon]

Starting off as a moderately powerful vampire with some age who has absolutely no connections, no knowledge of the modern world, and no assets seems like it's doable. Relearning seems like a decent enough excuse for a tutorial. Actually reminds me of the Generation advantage in the tabletop game: You can only raise it during character creation, so it's relatively common to see a character with "maxed out" generation (for a starting character) at the cost of all their social connections (etc.) that could be bought with those same points. The real question is how you introduce the player character to computers, cars, cell phones, digital cameras, internet etc.

Yeah... I really don't have a lot of faith that they'll do this well but we'll see.

Definitely a very interesting premise. On the fantasy game I'm working on, one of the classes doesn't know the language all the NPCs speak, but they basically start the game as a master swordsman.

Could see something similar here.

 

[ArchAngel]

Since it is Seattle they need to include its most prominent group of people - Anti-Fa. And then of course we can get rid of them all - in Bloodlines 2

Spoiler

I know Portland is their main city, Seattle is almost same shit

 

[sosmoflux]

5/10 hype levels
Studio looks full of dispassionate normies - thus wouldn't expect the game to actually release until late 2025 or even 2026
Game reveal started with female singing which is always a giant red flag - indicates low test development and thus a safe, biteless game
"Combat looks better" cope is because they showed like 5 seconds of cut up footage split between punching animations and special moves
Also what's with all the punching? Who cares about punching? Ah yes, vampires, known for their... punching skills... (AKA main reference is Buffy)
And can someone ship over some protein powder and a gym membership to that community manager? Looks like a strong wind would hurt his feelings, let alone the Steam forums

There's a few promising tidbids though which nets it a 5 rather than a 3
Playing as an Elder is potentially interesting
Seems like they're reigning in the max-wokeness, at least in marketing
The music after the cringe singing was almost good
Spooky Mansion tease was a nice tickle

 

[karoliner]

Mr. Biden please start the nuclear war already.

 

[duskvile]

This is basically a new studio with some Bioware, Rocksteady and someone from Hogwarts Legacy

That's interesting. How big is the studio now?

 

[Cryomancer]

• Set in Soyattle(the unique place worse than Commiefornia)
• The lead writer is a pronoun freak
• Development hell
• Lots of characters with mental illness haircut
• Company seems to keep talking about diversity. All games made by diversity hires that I know where a huge bugfest
• (...)

Can't Daniel Vrava make a vampire urban fantasy game set in Prague?

 

[Infinitron]

So, maybe the real release date was October 27th, 2024?

 

[Fargus]

And Twitter reveals lead writer is pronoun freak. Into the trash it goes.

What a turn of events...

 

[La vie sexuelle]

They glued together what was left of the previous company. Laborers. Probably their biggest creative contribution is the tit reduction of this chick from the first trailer.

 

[duskvile]

So, maybe the real release date was October 27th, 2024?

24th/10/24
It has a nicer cling.

 

[sosmoflux]

So is Rik still doing the OST or nah?

 

[Jenkem]

people should have been skeptical of the original incarnation of this project, and they absolutely were not because of le ebin fingerless glove guy.
this is a significant improvement and people are whining that we aren't going to get a game written by cara ellison. it's bewildering.