In a surprising turn of events, the modding team behind Vampire: The Masquerade: Reawakened faced a significant setback.
Activision, one of the key rights holders to the original 2000 RPG Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption, denied the team permission to continue their ambitious remake of the game within the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim engine. Despite the team’s efforts to avoid legal trouble, the result was a “no” from Activision and a “yes” from Paradox, which co-owns rights to the Vampire: The Masquerade universe. So what now?
![Vampire the Masquarade Redemption Part 1 no commentary [PC] via The Cultured Goon in YouTube](https://boundingintocomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-02-095212.png?w=768)
Modders’ Journey to Redemption
Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption was the first video game adaptation of the Vampire: The Masquerade franchise. It predates the more famous Bloodlines by four years. The game follows a crusader knight-turned-vampire as he navigates a sprawling storyline that spans medieval Europe and 1999.
The game’s unique premise is still celebrated today, but its combat mechanics—clunky by modern standards—make it a prime candidate for a remake. The modders, led by Galejro, made significant progress in bringing the game into the Skyrim engine, breathing new life into its environments and characters.
However, the road to a fully realized remake hit a major obstacle. Galejro and the team sought permission from both Paradox, the owner of the Vampire: The Masquerade setting, and Activision, which controls rights to Redemption’s specific story and characters. After a positive response from Paradox, they hoped for the same from Activision.
But after losing their initial point of contact at the company due to layoffs following Microsoft’s acquisition, their attempts to gain permission ultimately failed. Activision’s response was a definitive “no.”
On August 5th, the mod’s official Twitter account revealed a “critical legal development for the project”, informing fans that “we managed to contact Activision and they refused our offer”.
As such, the devs confirmed “We’ve decided to do a canonical re-interpretation of Vampire the Masquerade: Redemption events.”
Reimagining the Future
With Activision’s rejection, the modders have been forced to rethink their project. Galejro confirmed in a development update that the team is now planning to move forward with a reinterpretation of Redemption.
This would strip away any content that could lead to legal action. While this means cutting ties with key parts of the original story, it opens the door for a fresh take on the vampire RPG genre. The team has built the mod on a foundation that can withstand such a pivot. Galejro and the crew are now weighing their options, including staying close to the source material without infringing on Activision’s intellectual property; or creating an entirely new narrative. Interestingly enough, fans of the mod will get a say in this decision. This will be done by holding a vote to determine the project’s future direction.
One promising feature of the team’s work is their modern-day setting. This change is already drawing attention to its immersive atmosphere. The mod incorporates detailed mechanics from the Vampire: The Masquerade tabletop game, including small details like the risk of a vampire feeding being witnessed if done in front of a window.
A New Chapter Begins
While the original project may be dead, Vampire: The Masquerade – Reawakened is now taking shape as a potentially unique game in its own right. Activision’s refusal might have prevented the team from staying slavishly loyal to the original game. But it is allowing for more creative freedom. As Galejro puts it, “The slimmed-down name is a definite improvement.”
If you’re interested, you can watch the full developer update below:
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