Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has had one of the most troubled developments in video game history, with the game changing hands, switching from Hardsuit Labs to the Chinese Room. Fans have wondered whether this new iteration kept anything from the Hardsuit Labs version.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 was originally announced in 2019. After Paradox Interactive had purchased White Wolf, it opened the door for numerous video game adaptations, chief of which was a sequel to the cult classic Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.
The original studio attached to Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines was Hardsuit Labs. This iteration of the game was in development for years, receiving several trailers, behind-the-scenes gameplay reveals, and even a whole dating app ARG.
For reasons that are still unclear, in 2021, Paradox Interactive announced that development of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 had changed hands, and would now be handled by the Chinese Room. This delayed the game until 2025, with several drastic shifts in design and gameplay along the way.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is a very different beast from what was originally shown, so it’s not what was shown back in 2019. However, the Chinese Room kept some elements from the original game, even if a lot has changed.
Spoilers for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 ahead.
What Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Kept From The Hardsuit Labs Version
The main thing that was retained from the Hardsuit Labs version is the setting. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is still set in Seattle at around Christmas time. The conflict involving several vampire factions vying for control of the city is also here, even if the faces have changed.
A handful of characters have also remained, the main one being Lou Graham, the former Prince of Seattle, who is based on a real person. She only appeared briefly in the old trailers as a member of the Pioneer faction, so the full extent of her role is unknown.
One major character from the Hardsuits Lab version is Dale, a Thin-Blood vampire who specializes in alchemy using blood potions. He was pegged to have a big role in the original Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, but in the Chinese Room version, he has passed away before the events of the game, with the player only able to converse with his spirit briefly.
There was also a character design that was reused. In the original promotion for the Hardsuits Labs game, the artwork for the Anarchs showed a woman with dark glasses (seen in the image above.) This design was reused in the Chinese Room game as Baker, a member of the human vampire hunter organization that stalks the Kindred of Seattle.
Damsel, the Anarch Brujah from the original Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines was also confirmed to make a cameo appearance in a trailer from the Hardsuit Labs release. She also returns in the retail version of the game, working alongside the Anarchs of Seattle.
What Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Changed From The Hardsuit Labs Version
Outside of the handful of cameos, the Chinese Room version changed a ton. The player switched from being a Thin-Blood vampire who chooses their Clan over the course of the story, to an Elder vampire who is already established and can tear groups of undead apart with ease. With this, the gameplay also changed, with Phyre being far stronger than the original protagonist.
The Malkavian Clan was originally meant to be playable. However, this was reworked, with the protagonist now containing a Malkavian vampire’s personality inside of their head, who acts as a companion and narrator throughout the game.
Many characters who were featured prominently in the promo artwork for the Hardsuit Labs game never made the cut. These include Mr. Damp, a Malkavian serial killer who hunted all manner of prey, and Elif Parmak, an attractive Tremere lady, both of whom appeared in a lot of artwork and the trailers.
The faction system was also changed, as the original intention was to have five factions: the Pioneers, the Newcomers, the Unseen, the Baron, and the Camarilla. In the retail version of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, there is only the Camarilla, the Anarchs, and the I.A.O.
There’s a ton of changes made to the final version of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, which is to be expected, considering the development hell it went through. There are some recognizable elements, but fans should go in expecting something very different than what they saw in 2019.
- Security Camera Installation – indoor/outdoor IP CCTV systems & video analytics
- Access Control Installation – key card, fob, biometric & cloud‑based door entry
- Business Security Systems – integrated alarms, surveillance & access control
- Structured Cabling Services – voice, data & fiber infrastructure for new or existing builds
- Video Monitoring Services – 24/7 remote surveillance and analytics monitoring
Author: 360 Technology Group
