Those wishing to return to the World of Darkness are going to have to sit tight for a while longer, unfortunately. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 was first announced back in 2019, but according to a message from publisher Paradox Interactive, the long-awaited sequel to the 2004 cult classic won't be hitting shelves any time soon.

The journey has not always been a smooth one for those eagerly awaiting Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. The original game was critically well-received but sold poorly, proving the final nail in the coffin for developers Troika Games. After Troika shut down in 2005, tabletop publisher White Wolf, owners of the World of Darkness rights, was acquired by EVE Online developers CCP Games, and work soon began on an ill-fated Vampire: The Masquerade MMO. When White Wolf was picked up by Paradox Interactive in 2015, things were looking up for the franchise, and within a few years the company announced that development on Bloodlines 2 had begun.

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It wasn't all smooth sailing from there, however. Originally set to release in Q1 of 2020, Bloodlines 2 suffered delay after delay, getting bumped to late 2020, then into 2021. This latest announcement from Paradox contains a similar message, though with an added wrinkle: the game will now no longer be released in 2021 at all, because Paradox have decided to part ways with developers Hardsuit Labs.

The news was first announced in Paradox Interactive's year-end financial report, where CEO Ebba Ljungerud wrote that Hardsuit would no longer be leading development on Bloodlines 2 and that the company "[has] started a collaboration with a new studio partner to finish work on the game." A follow-up message on the game's website and on Twitter adds a bit of extra detail, including that they would be halting preorders for the time being while they work out a new release window for the title. The company made sure to thank Hardsuit for their work on the game thus far, praising the "tremendous job" it had done, so it at least seems there's little bad blood between the companies.

Delays haven't been the only problems afflicting the development of Bloodlines 2, though. Last summer, the game made headlines after firing its creative director and narrative lead, sparking concerns over the future of the game and particularly how the departure of two such important figures so relatively late in the development cycle would affect the state of the game, known as it is for its intricate and complex narrative.

No doubt the fallout of an entire development studio stepping out of the picture will be significant, so it certainly makes sense that Paradox are unwilling to make a guess at a new release window until the dust has settled. Fans will doubtless be disappointed at the newest developments in this particular saga, but hopefully the team are abiding by the old quote from Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto: "A delayed game is eventually good, a bad game is bad forever."

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is currently in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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Source: Paradox Interactive