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

[Vincente]

Bunch of videos from the old build resurfaced. Game had a ghost level like Ocean House.

 

[The President]

So, I'm genuinely curious here, are people more confident in a narrative done by Pinchbeck or by Mitsoda and his team?

I gotta be honest, I do think I would trust Pinchbeck a bit more here, though I do think Mitsoda probably understands the setting better having done the previous game. While I don't think the previous game outside of that Anarch girl would have had too many direct continuations from the first, I do lean towards making a game that is clearly in the same universe but a separate story.

 

[Tyranicon]

With how close they're keeping this to their chest, I have nothing to go on so my expectations are also decidedly neutral.

Yeah, yeah, it's modern gamedev so pessimism is warranted. I wish they had more to show, and this leads me to believe that the new devs actually had to do everything from the ground up.

I mean, announcing that they'll have "something" to show in September 2023, for a game supposed to be released in 2020, is just

 

[Semiurge]

The implication there is that he's about to cut off your hand with that cleaver if you take his hand. 90s edgy-cool malkavian.

From my contact with the original HSL developers I know who this was supposed to be, but any observant Bloodlines fan can figure it out !

cringeinducing "sex positive" writing

This means "too many sluts per game"?

The implication there is that he's about to cut off your hand with that cleaver if you take his hand. 90s edgy-cool malkavian.

From my contact with the original HSL developers I know who this was supposed to be, but any observant Bloodlines fan can figure it out !

Could it be he was a modernized re-imagined Cain? That would be horrifying.

Oh god, was it Vandal? His full name was Vandal Cleaver, and he has a cleaver in his hand too...

Damp was supposed to be a serial killer, and because most pictures of him include a rose on his suit and Mitsoda's trademark fingerless gloves, I falsely assumed he was a toreador. And because Mitsoda's "alter-ego" from Bloodlines was a toreador ghoul.

I doubt he was supposed to be Vandal, more likely they would've milked yet another imported character like Damsel by simply naming him Vandal instead of Damp. Desperation and all.

Will be interesting to see how they walk back the thin blood and clan choice hooks that were so prominent in the initial marketing.

Losing the main character's thin blood- lineage would be incline. It would be ok if thinblood was one of the clans you can choose in the beginning, but considering that it was supposed to be the starting clan that you merely "upgrade", it most likely was meant to serve as an important social justice- theme throughout the whole game. Not only that - it might've even negated most of the changes your diablerie clan should introduce. You may choose to become a brujah, but all NPCs still treat you as thinblood etc. A cosmetic upgrade.

 

[Ibn Sina]

Losing being a shitty half breed thin blood would be the most incline thing in the game imo.

 

[Spacer's Nugget]

Bunch of videos from the old build resurfaced. Game had a ghost level like Ocean House.

Considering the timing, there's no way he didn't do it out of spite.

 

[StrongBelwas]

Considering the timing, there's no way he didn't do it out of spite.

Maybe, but the videos say they were uploaded two weeks ago. I think the recent news just got people to dig around more.
EDIT: The original videos I should say, the first source of those is from here. the RPG Nuke individual does not seem to mention that:
https://chaoticenigma.artstation.com/albums/8899786
https://chaoticenigma.artstation.com/projects/w0x0YX?album_id=8899786
https://chaoticenigma.artstation.com/projects/QXGX6d?album_id=8899786

 

[Delterius]

I gotta be honest, I do think I would trust Pinchbeck a bit more here, though I do think Mitsoda probably understands the setting better having done the previous game. While I don't think the previous game outside of that Anarch girl would have had too many direct continuations from the first, I do lean towards making a game that is clearly in the same universe but a separate story.

don't know anything about Pinchbeck or the studio that Chinese Takeout has become, but if he isn't into the setting then i think making sure he does his homework is up to paradox sending white wolf people to the studio

the worst case scenario is if the new devs refused to even play bloodlines 1. we know next to nothing though, so we're a few weeks from red alert

 

[FreeKaner]

Vampire the Masquerade: Prey

Let's hope it is as good as Prey at least, this studio isn't Arkane after all.

 

[Haba]

It’s like waiting in the ER for word on how your girlfriend’s doing, when you've known that your girlfriend has been dead for two decades. They’ve dug up her cadaver and are pretending that what they’re doing to her will somehow bring her back. Meanwhile, you sit in the waiting room, DREADING the moment that you have to face the music and finally see what they’ve done to desecrate your girl.

Hey, look on the positive side. At least you might get one last fuck out of it.

 

[Delterius]

Power Word: Prey

stop typing turanic hexes pls

 

[NecroLord]

As someone who thinks the "SJW threat" to gaming is incredibly overblown,

Yeah, man, incredibly overblown, other than the fact that it is FUCKING EVERYWHERE. Commercials, movies, video games, you name it.

 

[NecroLord]

quixotic Two decades is a long amount of time. Why not get a new girlfriend?

 

[RaggleFraggle]

I gotta be honest, I do think I would trust Pinchbeck a bit more here, though I do think Mitsoda probably understands the setting better having done the previous game. While I don't think the previous game outside of that Anarch girl would have had too many direct continuations from the first, I do lean towards making a game that is clearly in the same universe but a separate story.

don't know anything about Pinchbeck or the studio that Chinese Takeout has become, but if he isn't into the setting then i think making sure he does his homework is up to paradox sending white wolf people to the studio

the worst case scenario is if the new devs refused to even play bloodlines 1. we know next to nothing though, so we're a few weeks from red alert

Using the brand name appeal of an existing IP is pointless and probably detrimental. Firstly, it's just a glorified recitation of irrelevant factoids that nerds jizz over but which mean nothing to a general audience. Secondly, investing in it is pointless because it will be constantly fucked with by corpos and writer turnover until it loses everything that originally attracted you to it. Thirdly, saying your product is branded after a glorified recitation of irrelevant factoids isn't a substitute for actual substance like gameplay and storytelling. Fourthly, it strangles creativity out of the market by taking away resources that could be invested in new IPs that aren't crushed under the weight of decades of writer turnover and other fuckery.

Bloodlines is remembered because of its colorful characters and funny situations, made by Troika. Troika could've invented an original IP and the game would've been just as well-regarded. That's why nobody remembers any of the other games crapped out for this IP. Except maybe Redemption, but it's nowhere near as remembered as Bloodlines for whatever reason. It never needed a sequel and any attempt at a sequel would just degrade its legacy, as we're seeing right now.

 

[Delterius]

Using the brand name appeal of an existing IP is pointless and probably detrimental. Firstly, it's just a glorified recitation of irrelevant factoids that nerds jizz over but which mean nothing to a general audience. Secondly, investing in it is pointless because it will be constantly fucked with by corpos and writer turnover until it loses everything that originally attracted you to it. Thirdly, saying your product is branded after a glorified recitation of irrelevant factoids isn't a substitute for actual substance like gameplay and storytelling. Fourthly, it strangles creativity out of the market by taking away resources that could be invested in new IPs that aren't crushed under the weight of decades of writer turnover and other fuckery.

I don't know why you quoted me because a) it's got nothing to do with what I said, and b) you're completely wrong. The entire reality of the entertainment industry proves that brand recognition is neither pointless nor detrimental.

There is no vampire, dark fantasy, or urban fantasy story that cannot be told in the world of darkness. There is no reason to invest in a new IP unless you don't want an in-built audience for it, or if you don't own an IP of your own. Paradox does. Ergo they'll tell stories set in the world of darkness.

You're only rendered even more wrong considering that this thread is filled with Bloodlines fans. So there goes the point about 'irrelevant factoids' (which nobody cares about and aren't relevant even in a tabletop campaign) or 'creativity strangling'. Unless of course you'd like to argue that Bloodlines itself sucks, at which point I'll just discard your opinion twice. Case in point:

Bloodlines is remembered because of its colorful characters and funny situations, made by Troika. Troika could've invented an original IP and the game would've been just as well-regarded.

That is wrong on the face of it. Of course. Since Troika were the like to make the games they wanted to make and Bloodlines and the wider WoD is what got them going in the first place. Troika are the ones who decided to make Arcanum, to set their D&D game in Greyhawk and to close their studio because they didn't feel like doing mercenary work. But if you sincerely believe that, then making Bloodlines 2 is neither pointless nor detrimental. It strangles no one's creativity. If it did then Troika wouldn't have been able to achieve what Bloodlines is. Even in that maximalist (and unrealistic) scenario, the game would be standing on it's own. So it goes back to all the advantages one has when using an estabilished setting.

I'd also like to reiterate the point that even tabletop campaigns set in the World of Darkness rarely mess with high level lore stuff. People generally focus on, hell, just a gothic punk version of the neighborhoods they live in. Foot-soldiers of the Camarilla don't deal with world ending threats. So the nerd high level meta-lore you seem to dislike so much doesn't even come into consideration. Just as it barely does in the Shadowrun games and Bloodlines itself.

Lastly, Bloodlines is much more than just a vampire plotline. It is the animations, the artwork, the art design, the uniqueness of the setting, the rarity of the genre, the voice directing by Rik Schaffer's wife, Schaffer's soundtrack. It's so many things working together in tandem that the idea of it being hampered because the setpieces are from a tabletop game is insane. To me at least. A good team will deliver a good story in nearly anyone's worldbuilding.

 

[Caim]

Vampire the Masquerade: Prey

Let's hope it is as good as Prey at least, this studio isn't Arkane after all.

Arkane released a vampire game last month.

It... wasn't very good.

 

[Delterius]

Vampire the Masquerade: Prey

Let's hope it is as good as Prey at least, this studio isn't Arkane after all.

Arkane released a vampire game last month.

It... wasn't very good.

someone wished upon a monkey's paw and summoned not only vampire: battle royale but also killed arkane

there's something very humorous about people applying to make immersive sins and getting the response 'sorry bruv we only make shit now'

 

[deuxhero]

Bunch of videos from the old build resurfaced. Game had a ghost level like Ocean House.

The main surprise here is that they actually made something playable.

 

[Delterius]

The main surprise here is that they actually made something playable.

you fool thats what hardsuit wanted paradox to think. you now owe them 2 years of development time.

 

[Tyranicon]

immersive sins

This is a blessed typo.

Hey, look on the positive side. At least you might get one last fuck out of it.

Is sex with the undead necrophilia? Or un-necrophilia? Oh shit, I might get banned from Steam.

 

[NecroLord]

immersive sins

This is a blessed typo.

Hey, look on the positive side. At least you might get one last fuck out of it.

Is sex with the undead necrophilia? Or un-necrophilia? Oh shit, I might get banned from Steam.

Tyranicon, not entirely certain, but in Vampire:The Masquerade lore you can have sex with a vampire/while being a vampire...
Gotta put those Kindred abilities to good use, right?

 

[Lambach]

someone wished upon a monkey's paw and summoned not only vampire: battle royale but also killed arkane

If by "someone" you mean "some Microsoft Exec" and by "wished upon a Monkey's Paw" you mean "read EA's Instruction Manual from back in the day and decided to murder an otherwise decently popular and prolific Gamedev Studio by forcing them to do shit way out of their comfort zone that literally nobody asked for or wanted so they can cannibalize them", then you just might be onto something.

 

[Delterius]

someone wished upon a monkey's paw and summoned not only vampire: battle royale but also killed arkane

If by "someone" you mean "some Microsoft Exec" and by "wished upon a Monkey's Paw" you mean "read EA's Instruction Manual from back in the day and decided to murder an otherwise decently popular and prolific Gamedev Studio by forcing them to do shit way out of their comfort zone that literally nobody asked for or wanted so they can cannibalize them", then you just might be onto something.

no i'm pretty sure the supernatural is involved. the urban fantasy curse seems equal to all the witches in romania (actual government).

 

[The President]

Those videos look like they are from a build even earlier than the one the old demo had. The few glimpses of the in-game menu look different than some of the screenshots and the health and blood bar look quite different as well. IMO it looks like they got the setting and the environments down but goddamn, that fighting, and interaction looks bad. I'm inclined to believe now that most of the problems were in fact technical and cultural at Hardsuit. I have no idea how actually good Mitsoda and his band of misfit's narrative would have been, but I do think they got the feel of first game for the most part. I don't think he was bullshitting when he said he felt him, and his team at least did their job.

 

[Lambach]

no i'm pretty sure the supernatural is involved. the urban fantasy curse seems equal to all the witches in romania (actual government).

Now that you mention it, I do indeed notice that even though pretty much all genres and subgenres of vidya are subject to the exact same MO of being re-processed into identical, shapeless, colorless piles of corporate sludge, it does seem like the suits have a particularly large hate-boner for urban fantasy.