Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 publisher Paradox Interactive says the game is still on track, despite layoffs at the title’s developer, The Chinese Room. The sequel to 2004’s Bloodlines has had a rough development cycle so far, but it appears its latest setback has not affected its release window. Fans may finally get their hands on Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 later this year, regardless of the recent shakeup.
The Chinese Room announced that Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 would release in October 2025 earlier this year. While that window places the game’s launch over 20 years after its predecessor, it was welcome news for fans, given a long history of delays and disruption throughout development up until that point. Fears of another such setback rose again after news of layoffs struck, but Bloodlines 2 is reportedly still set for an October 2025 release.
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According to a statement from a Paradox representative to PC Gamer, the recent layoffs have not affected Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2‘s development. Before The Chinese Room confirmed the layoffs, it had said that the title was mostly complete and that the only remaining work was little more than fine-tuning it. As such, it would make sense that the game could keep the same release window despite having fewer people working on it. Still, while fans may breathe a sigh of relief, it’s another reminder of the troubling trend of layoffs and broader development issues in the gaming industry.
Paradox Interactive Says Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Is Unaffected by Chinese Room Layoffs
While this latest developer disruption may not have impacted the game much, the long-awaited RPG has not had an easy road so far. After its original 2019 announcement, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 saw several release delays, from 2020 to 2021 to 2024 to 2025. It has even come out that the game was almost canceled amid those delays, though it managed to stay alive through it all.
This tumultuous dev cycle included a studio change, too. In 2023, The Chinese Room took over work on Bloodlines 2 from Hardsuit Labs after collaborating with Hardsuit on it since 2021. That shift also came with a change in story and gameplay, and all of this happened long before it came out that The Chinese Room’s parent company was laying off staff. Despite such a long, wild ride, though, it seems the wait is finally over and Bloodlines 2 will come out this Fall.