The cult hit RPG Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines has now gone two decades without an official sequel materializing, but the latest attempt is getting close to a launch. Today, publisher Paradox Interactive and developer The Chinese Room unveiled the first gameplay trailer for the rebooted project, giving an extended look at a quest involving dialog choices, investigation elements, and brutal combat.
The gameplay video with a quick look at those elements can be seen above. Meanwhile, an extended showcase with much more footage from the quest as well as a QnA session from The Chinese Room’s Creative Director Alex Skidmore and Community Manager Joshua Matthews can be watched below.
The gameplay shows off the protagonist, who the player would be creating at the start of the game, infiltrating an abandoned warehouse to uncover the cause behind a mark on their hands. As the player character is part of the Brujah Kindred in this playthrough, which lean towards using brute force and intimidation, the encounter with the vampire court"s secret keeper ends up with a trip to his maze of illusions.
"The gameplay and action of Bloodlines 2 is a sort of dance. As players explore the world, soak in the atmosphere, and make strategic choices, they affect their relationships with the characters around them," says The Chinese Room creative director Alex Skidmore. "Players can choose their legend, but the world is dynamic, and characters will remember how you treat them. Think carefully, and trust no one."
The game was previously in development at Hardsuit Labs before Paradox Interactive canceled the project and decided to change the lead developer in 2021. It was only in 2023 that The Chinese Room, a British studio known for games like Everybody"s Gone to the Rapture and Dear Esther, was announced as the new developer behind the highly-anticipated project.
The Chinese Room"s Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 does not have a firm release date attached to it yet, but it is coming sometime this fall. The confirmed platforms are PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG, as well as Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 consoles.