Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Delayed Again, Lead Developers Replaced

A major change is underway for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, the long-awaited action-RPG. Bloodlines 2 has been delayed yet again, but more notable than that is the fact that publisher Paradox has parted ways with developer Hardsuit Labs, which will no longer work on the game.

After a delay late in 2020, Bloodlines 2 was expected to launch in 2021 as development focused on polishing. In its latest earnings release, however, Paradox has announced that the sequel to Vampire: The Masquerade will no longer be releasing in 2021 at all, and that a new studio is now at work on the project.

As part of a statement on the change, Paradox CEO Ebba Ljungerud says the hard decision was made to ensure the game lives up to the quality standard fans are expecting.

"We have now chosen to postpone the release of the game further, and we will not be launching the game in 2021," the statement reads. "We have also decided that Hardsuit Labs will no longer be leading the development of Bloodlines 2, and we have started a collaboration with a new studio partner to finish work on the game. This has been a difficult decision, but we are convinced that it is the right way forward to do the game justice."

In a separate message regarding the delay on the game's official website, it has also been confirmed that preorders are being halted until a new release date has been agreed upon. The Epic Games Store has already blocked further preorders on the game.

This is the latest in a long line of development issues for Bloodlines 2, which has lost numerous writers and creative directors over the last few months. Replacing the lead studio is the most drastic change to affect the project yet and might lead to an extended delay or drastically different creative goal.