Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has awoken from its lengthy slumber, with a brand new studio and launch window in tow. Over the weekend, Paradox Interactive confirmed that Bloodlines 2 improvement is within the arms of The Chinese language Room, with a launch window of fall 2024.

Bloodlines 2 has been quiet for a while, following what may solely be thought-about a tumultuous improvement. After delays, departures of its leads, and ultimately Paradox eradicating Hardsuit Labs from the sequel, the Vampire successor has discovered a brand new house with The Chinese language Room.

It’s an fascinating decide, as The Chinese language Room is well-known for its narrative adventures. The studio produced Expensive Esther, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, and Everyone’s Gone to the Rapture, and is engaged on one other horror expertise, Nonetheless Wakes the Deep. Now, it’s taking on the sequel to a cult-classic RPG.

Sleepless in Seattle

My rapid query was how a lot we’d see of Hardsuit’s Bloodlines 2 work in The Chinese language Room’s model. In an interview with PC Gamer, Paradox VP of World of Darkness Sean Greaney and Bloodlines 2 inventive director Alex Skidmore talked a bit about it.

Whereas Greaney says they “have been capable of reuse a big quantity of artwork and stage design” from Hardsuit’s work, Skidmore clarifies that The Chinese language Room is using “a brand new code base with totally different gameplay mechanics and RPG methods.” You may see among the authentic imaginative and prescient within the re-reveal. There’s a have a look at the snowy vacation environment and its preliminary Seattle setting. And whereas The Chinese language Room is a shocking decide for an RPG, Skidmore brings some expertise; he was a lead designer on Gears Ways and labored on the Fable sequence, per PCG.

The place the unique Bloodlines 2 pitch had the participant taking over the function of a lately turned “thinblood,” The Chinese language Room’s Bloodlines 2 will star an “Elder” vampire. We’re due extra info quickly, as a gameplay reveal is about for January.

It’s a disgrace we received’t see Hardsuit’s imaginative and prescient, however I’m nonetheless curious to see what The Chinese language Room makes of a Bloodlines sequel. It’s an fascinating selection, however the studio does appear to be doing one thing slightly totally different in an intriguing method. We’ll study extra in January, forward of a deliberate fall 2024 launch for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Sequence X|S.