Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has been delayed again, pushing the struggling RPG back to the first half of 2025. Publishers Paradox Interactive and developers The Chinese Room say the delay will allow them to continue polishing the game, respond to feedback, and develop its story.
Paradox announced the news with a video featuring Alex Skidmore, Creative Director of The Chinese Room, and Mattias Lilja, Paradox Deputy CEO.
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“Earlier this year, Paradox reaffirmed its commitment to delivering high-quality games to its players, and the launch update is a proactive decision stemming from that commitment,” said a statement accompanying the delay. “While the game is in a good enough state that we can maintain our planned release window, Paradox and The Chinese Room have decided to work together to prioritize refinement.”
The announcement seems designed to reassure the waiting public that the game is in the final stretch, with only “polishing” to do, but in this case, the polishing isn't limited to bug fixes but also appears to include additional content, more story, more endings, diversified clan battles, and more.
Paradox has had a rough year, with the $22 million failure of Lamplighters League, the buggy launch and rushed DLC of Cities Skylines 2, the last-minute cancellation of Life By You, and the indefinite delay of Prison Architect 2.
The missteps led Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester to admit that the company had made “bad decisions” on several major projects, while reporting declining profits.
Bloodlines 2's story is no happier. Originally slated for a 2020 release, its creative director was fired, the game was taken away from its developers, and it only resurfaced last year at the Chinese Room after a supposedly secret development period. It continues to look minimalist in every trailer, so any delay seems inevitable.
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