Video Games
New ‘Bloodlines 2’ Developer Diary Explores the Game’s Narrative Themes
Last month, Paradox Interactive announcing that Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 had a new developer on board in The Chinese Room. On the heels of that, Paradox has released a new developer diary, focusing on the narrative atmosphere and themes in Bloodlines 2.
Penned by Sarah Longthorne, Senior Narrative Designer at The Chinese Room, the latest developer diary explores the game’s narrative atmosphere and neo-noir themes. According to Longthorne, the narrative for Bloodlines 2 is all about control. Whether it’s the amount and kind of control you have over others, the control they exert over you in turn, and the control you lose—and slowly regain—over yourself.
Regarding the game’s neo-noir themes, Bloodlines 2 “blurs the lines of morality and explores themes like revenge, paranoia, alienation.” The team focused on character, who knows what, and who has the power in any given situation, and how the player can use that to their advantage.
“So, how the player navigates these alliances and goes about learning new information makes the player feel like they are investigating a complex web of lies. We try to ensure that the player feels in control of the information that they know, who they share those secrets with, and why.”
Currently, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is in development for PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series.
The rumoured cuts at Xbox have come to fruition, with plans to lay off 3,200 employees. In addition, five studios are also set to be let go, with Double Fine and South of Midnight developer Compulsion breaking off to go independent, while Ninja Theory (Senua) and Undead Labs (State of Decay 3) have been sold.
The fifth studio, Marvel’s Blade and Dishonored studio Arkane Lyon, is set to be divested from Xbox Game Studios, though details are still being kept under wraps.
Per Xbox Wire, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma confirmed the layoff and divestment plans at Xbox, but announced no plans for closures or game cancellations.
According to Sharma, Xbox is operating at “margins that are 3-10x lower than comparable platform and publishing businesses.” Sharma acknowledged Xbox’s previous pivots to Game Pass, multi-platform, and a “broader portfolio of content” have resulted in “meaningful value”, but it hasn’t been enough.
“Since 2018, we have aggressively expanded our studio portfolio while the number of games created each month across the industry now outpaces the last ten years combined,” she said. “We now find ourselves competing not only with the largest publishers, but also with smaller independent studios. It is neither possible nor desirable to own every great independent studio.”
As a result, Compulsion Games and Double Fine Productions “will return to management and transition to independent studios with their IP, catalog, and runway for their next games.” Meanwhile, Ninja Theory and Undead Labs “have entered terms to join new ownership with funding to complete and grow Senua and State of Decay 3.” As for Arkane Lyon, the studio’s management “is beginning required consultation with its Works Council to review potential strategic options.”
The 3,200 cuts will be made throughout Xbox’s financial year across departments, with some areas being more affected than others. This is expected to affect around 20% of the developer’s workforce.
In addition, Bethesda will also undergo “a significant overhaul”, and will pivot to focus on its core franchises: Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein. None of our first party publicly announced games or projects are being cancelled as part of these reductions.
“These changes are about a bigger future for Xbox, not a smaller one,” says Sharma. “The next decade of gaming will be larger, more global, and more creative than anything we’ve seen before. This year, we’ll invest as much in Xbox as we ever have, but we’ll invest with greater focus, greater discipline, and greater clarity, all in service of making Xbox where the world plays and creates.”