Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 loses narrative lead and creative director

Recently it was announced that Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 would no longer be coming out in 2020 and that the team was now focusing on meeting a 2021 release window. Amid all of this, it would seem that the game's lead narrative designer and creative director have been let go, a move that has been described as “a shock”. 

Hardsuit Labs, the studio developing Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, previously had Brian Mitsoda in charge of narrative design and Ka'ai Cluney as Creative Director. In a statement, the studio and publisher Paradox Interactive have confirmed that neither are involved in the project now, but claim to “appreciate and value the contributions” that both have made to the game up to this point.

Speaking with Rock Paper Shotgun, Mitsoda says that his firing came as a shock and adds that he had never been led to believe that he wasn't fulfilling his role: “That this came as a shock to me is underselling it. I’ve worked on Bloodlines 2 for almost five years. The story and main cast was initially conceived in my living room. I helped develop the pitch for Hardsuit Labs and helped pitch the project to Paradox in Las Vegas. I’ve been in charge of the narrative since the beginning, working long days and sometimes weekends to deliver a successor to Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, and I’ve never been led to believe that I hadn’t succeeded.”

Mitsoda also says he was not part of recent discussions to delay the game and adds that he is “incredibly disappointing and frustrated” to no longer be working on the project. So far, we have not heard from Cluney, former Creative Director on the project. At this point, Hardsuit Labs aims to release Bloodlines 2 in 2021, despite needing to replace two high profile positions on the project.

KitGuru Says: There appears to be some behind-the-scenes drama going on here, which usually isn't good news for such a lengthy project. Perhaps at some point we'll get the full story here, in the meantime, fans will have to continue hoping that the final game meets expectations. 

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