Video Games
‘Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2’ New Developer Revealed, Announces Fall 2024 Release [Trailer]
The long saga that is Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has taken another twist, with Paradox Interactive finally revealing that The Chinese Room is now developing the long-awaited RPG. Not only that, but the game now has a release date of Fall 2024, complete with a new trailer and a video providing a bit of background on The Chinese Room.
For those who need a recap, Paradox announced the follow-up to 2004’s Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines back in 2019 with a 2020 release date. Bloodlines 2 was subsequently pushed back until it was revealed that original developer Hardsuit Labs was dropped from the project for a then-unnamed developer. The last we heard from Paradox regarding the game was last November, when Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester said that it was “not impossible” that Bloodlines 2 would see a 2023 release.
As for The Chinese Room, the UK-based developer have worked on a variety of horror titles, including the Korsakovia mod for Half-Life 2, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, and the upcoming Still Wakes the Deep.
“Vampire: The Masquerade holds a special place in our hearts. The story world’s dark setting filled with intricate narratives built on top of modern society perfectly fits our studio’s catalog,” says Ed Daly, Studio Director at The Chinese Room. “Bloodlines 2 is our most ambitious project to date. Fans of the franchise have been eagerly awaiting this game, and we are up to the challenge. We are bringing more than 15 years of award-winning experience to the project, creating a game that honors the legacy of its predecessor while bringing its gameplay to the modern era.”
Currently, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is in development for PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series.
Video Games
Bloody Body Horror Revealed in ‘Stellar Blade: Blood Rain’, Currently in Development [Trailer]
Shift Up has shifted things dramatically from 2024’s action-adventure game Stellar Blade, offering up a body horror bonanza in the newly announced sequel, Stellar Blade: Blood Rain. The sequel is currently early in development, but if the trailer is any indication, players will be in for plenty of body horror.
Continuing the story from the original Stellar Blade, Blood Rain will star a new protagonist named Eve. Earth has been abandoned, and what is left of humanity has fled to a Colony in outer space.
Shift Up had mentioned during a Q&A following its latest earnings presentation last month that development on Blood Rain (which was still unannounced at the time) was progressing smoothly, and was on track to meet their targeted quality standards.
Shift Up stated that with this new title it would be transitioning to a first-party service model, effectively moving away from the restrictions the game experienced with original publisher Sony, which had the game under an exclusivity agreement for the PlayStation 5. “This will allow us to lead marketing strategies that fully reflect the distinctive identity of the Stellar Blade IP, and we expect to communicate the unique appeal of its universe to players more directly and effectively.”
Whether this means that Xbox Players will finally be able to play the original game (or its sequel) is still not clear. Meanwhile, Stellar Blade is reportedly being ported to the Nintendo Switch 2, but no official confirmation has been made.