Video Games
Paradox CEO Doesn’t Expect ‘Bloodlines 2’ Releasing Until The Second Half of 2021
It seems that the wait for Hardsuit Labs’ Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 will continue further into the new year than what was originally expected. That’s according to publisher Paradox Interactive’s CEO, Ebba Ljungerud, who spoke last month to Swedish publication Placera, saying that she did not believe Bloodlines 2 will release until the second half of 2021.
This is already on top of the news earlier in the year that the title was getting pushed back from its original 2020 release date. According to Ljungerud, a lack of development kits for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, compounded with the coronavirus pandemic, has affected not only Bloodlines 2‘s development, but also the industry’s overall productivity.
“To be able to develop for the next generation, you have to have development kits from the manufacturers. And I’m pretty sure that both Sony and Microsoft were affected by the pandemic because they did not have that many development kits,” said Ljungerud. She also said that unannounced Paradox titles would be subject to delays, but that delays are part of the gaming business, and that they are “something we are used to handling.”
And while Ljungerud is absolutely right in terms of the delays happening across the industry as a result of the pandemic and the adjustment to working remotely, it’s also nonetheless frustrating for those wanting to finally see a continuation of a series that holds a lot of potential. At the very least, fans can always check out the strong modding community, or check out some of the recently-released visual adventure games in the series, such as Coteries of New York.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is currently in development for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Kinetic Games has followed through with the 13 Willow Street map rework for Phasmophobia today, which is free across all platforms. Accompanying the map rework is the first of two major quality-of-life updates bringing hundreds of bug fixes and helping refine the gameplay experience.
Ghost hunters can prepare for a refreshed investigation experience with the reworked Willow map, adding a host of new paranormal interactions, objects, and hiding spaces. As with the most recent overhaul to 6 Tanglewood Drive, Willow retains an almost identical layout but features redesigned rooms, including a reconfigured basement layout, bringing the gameplay experience up to the team’s current development standards.
The reworked rooms include an art studio, home gym and entertainment room, replacing the bedroom, garage and basement previously featured in the haunted house. Alongside these visual updates, curious players will be able to uncover new lore hidden throughout Willow, piecing together a story waiting to be discovered.
“As part of the 13 Willow Street rework we’re continuing our approach to storytelling in Phasmophobia and developing the game’s narrative,” said Anastatia Dukakis, Senior Narrative Designer at Kinetic Games. “It’s always exciting to see the community make new discoveries together and we love seeing everyone share their theories and thoughts on the lore behind in-game locations.”
Players will also be tasked to correctly identify (and survive) 50 ghosts as part of map’s challenge, awarding the Sun Seeker ID set upon completion. Players can also unlock the Cool Cat ID card and badge for the first week after launch, by watching 2 hours of Phasmophobia streams.
Meanwhile, the major update accompanying the map rework is inspired by community feedback following the Player Character Update, and reflects Kinetic Games’ ongoing commitment to delivering the level of quality players expect before Phasmophobia leaves Early Access.
The update introduces a range of changes helping to refine the gameplay experience with refreshed animations allowing for smoother and quicker movements, and changes to evidence collection for a more seamless experience, and ghost hunters might also face a new presence lurking in the shadows…
New keybinds have also been added with players now able to use 1,2,3 and 4 for changing inventory slots alongside wider accessibility tweaks. For an overview of all the fixes landing in-game, you can check out the blog post here.
Phasmophobia is available in Early Access on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation VR2, and the Xbox Series.