Press release:
SAN FRANCISCO & STOCKHOLM – Paradox Interactive today at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco revealed “Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2“, a role-playing game (RPG) set in a Seattle faithfully reimagined in the World of Darkness.
The game is currently in development and will launch on PC and consoles in 2020. Developed by Hardsuit Labs, Bloodlines 2 is the successor to the iconic RPG Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, featuring reactive storytelling, fast-paced melee combat, and intriguing characters with their own hidden motives.
Players will become the ultimate vampire as they stalk the city streets for prey, maneuver complex political relationships, and balance their need for blood against their withering humanity.
Created in an act of vampire insurrection, your existence ignites a blood war among the vampire factions who run Seattle. To survive, you’ll choose a clan and enter into uneasy alliances with the competing factions in a world which will react to every choice you make.
Unleash your supernatural powers against your prey, but be mindful of your surroundings at all times or run the risk of breaking the Masquerade — the absolute law of secrecy that keeps Vampire society hidden from humanity.
The creative mind behind the original Bloodlines, Brian Mitsoda, returns as Lead Narrative Designer for Bloodlines 2, giving fans a true successor to the original cult classic.
“When Paradox announced they were acquiring the World of Darkness IP, I immediately started thinking about what it would be like to return to Vampire: The Masquerade,” Mitsoda said.
“Our aim has been to carry on the signature themes that made Bloodlines unique – particularly its dark tone, atmosphere, and humor – and I think that fans of the original will love what we’re doing with Bloodlines 2.”
“Fans of the original Bloodlines have been hungry for a sequel for a long time, and we began to hear those suggestions — well, demands — as soon as we began to work with the World of Darkness,” said Ebba Ljungerud, CEO of Paradox Interactive.
“We all understood what this opportunity could mean, but it was essential for both us and for
Hardsuit Labs that any sequel should be done properly; a true successor guided by the people who knew what made the original so special. Keeping this game a secret for the
last few years has been quite the Masquerade for us! It’s both exciting and relieving to finally let everybody know what we have in store for them.”
“At Hardsuit Labs we’re proud to have assembled a team of industry veterans who have worked on blockbuster titles, ranging from narrative-driven RPGs to action-packed shooters,” said Andy Kipling, CEO of Hardsuit Labs.
“We started working on our pitch almost immediately after we heard that Paradox had acquired the IP and I’m thrilled that Paradox recognized our passion and abilities. We are honored to be bringing Bloodlines 2 to fans all over the world.”
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 features:
Become the Ultimate Vampire – Immerse yourself in the World of Darkness and live out your vampire fantasy in a city filled with intriguing characters that react to your choices.
You and your unique disciplines are a weapon in a forward-driving, fast-moving, melee-focussed combat system. Your power will grow as you advance, but remember to uphold the Masquerade and guard your humanity … or face the consequences.
Descend into Seattle’s Dark Heart and Survive the Vampire Elite – Seattle has always been run by vampires. Hunt your prey across Seattle locations faithfully reimagined in the World of Darkness.
Meet the old blood founders present since the city’s birth and the new blood steering the tech money redefining the city. Everyone has hidden agendas – so choose your allies wisely.
Enter into Uneasy Alliances – Choose a side among competing factions, each with their own unique traits and stories, in the war for Seattle’s blood trade. The world will judge you by the company you keep, but remember no one’s hands stay clean forever.
Experience the Story – Written by the creative mind behind the original Bloodlines, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 brings the ambitions of the first to life and sees the return of a few fan favorite characters.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX is the official graphics partner of Vampire: The Masquerade® – Bloodlines™ 2 and Paradox is excited to work with NVIDIA on bringing real-time ray tracing and NVIDIA DLSS technology to the game.
To learn more about Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, please visit www.bloodlines2.com.
About Hardsuit Labs
Established in 2015, Hardsuit Labs is an independent game development studio located in Seattle, WA. Leveraging their engineering and game development experience, the
studio’s mission is to create great games and experiences across all gaming platforms. Hardsuit Labs is currently developing Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, launching in 2020.
About Paradox Interactive:
Paradox Interactive is a leading global publisher of strategy games for PC and console. The company has developed and published a world-renowned catalog stretching back to 1999, with players hailing from all around the world.
The publisher’s steadily-growing portfolio includes firmly established franchises such as the critically acclaimed Europa Universalis, Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron, and Stellaris series created by Paradox Development Studio, the Age of Wonders series created by Triumph Studios, as well as award-winning titles such as Cities: Skylines, Pillars of Eternity, and more from a network of partner studios.
Paradox also owns White Wolf Interactive, though none of the publisher’s employees are vampires.
Paradox’s head offices are located in Stockholm, Sweden. Our development studios are located in Stockholm, Malmö and Umeå, Sweden and in Delft, The Netherlands.
We share a passion for gaming and gamers, and our goal is to provide deep and challenging games with hours of gameplay and endless variety to our ever-growing community.
About Koch Media
Koch Media is a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products (games, films and software). The company’s own publishing activities, marketing and distribution extend throughout Europe, North America and Australia.
The Koch Media group has more than 20 years of experience in the digital media business, and has risen to become the number one publishing partner in Europe.
It has also formed strategic alliances with numerous games and software publishers: Bethesda, Capcom, Codemasters, Kaspersky Labs, Konami, Koei Tecmo, Milestone, Sega, Square Enix, etc. in various European countries. With Headquarter in Höfen, Austria Koch Media owns branches in Germany, England, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, the Nordic regions, Benelux, Australia, Czech Republic and the United States.
All product titles, publisher names, trademarks, artwork and associated imagery are trademarks, registered trademarks and/or copyright material of the respective owners. All rights reserved.
Jonas “O.J” Ek
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @TheGamingGround
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