Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has been delayed again, but I'm not too worried—I've played it, and it's looking great

Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 - Game Update - YouTube Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 - Game Update - YouTube
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Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 won't be appearing in the first half of 2025. After so many delays, I have a feeling prospective bloodsuckers will already be pretty used to this. At least its new release window is more appropriate than the summer; it's now due out in October, the spookiest month of the year.

The Chinese Room says the game is "done" and the team's now working on "bug fixing, stability and performance". From my experience of the prologue and Phyre's bloody introduction to modern Seattle, which I played through twice during a recent Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 hands-on, that section at least seems like it's getting pretty close for prime time.

What's not clear is why exactly it's been pushed back again. The previous delay was due to the studio deciding it wanted to flesh out the game's endings, but now it's past the point of adding anything new to the mix.

Up until now, every delay has made me more and more convinced that this cursed RPG was doomed, but I'm a bit more optimistic now. After spending a good chunk of a day drinking mortals, eviscerating ghouls and leaping across Seattle, I've gone from grimly fascinated by its tumultuous development to genuinely excited to play more.

Like I said in my hands-on, it's shaping up to be a fun power fantasy where even at your weakest point you get to feel like a lethal supernatural predator, able to make crowds kill themselves at your whim, turn mortals and immortals alike into blood bombs, and fill enemies with lead without ever actually physically touching a gun. It's a good time.

That said, having now enjoyed a wee taste of Bloodlines 2, the news that I'm going to have to wait even longer to tuck into the main course is a bit disappointing. But since I originally thought I might be getting my hands on it all the way back in 2020, I can wait a wee bit longer.

Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog. 

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