‘Vampire: The Masquerade’ Sequel Sparks Outrage With Overpriced Launch DLC
Paradox Interactive has announced that Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 will lock clans behind a fairly costly paywall in the form of a day-1 DLC; prompting fans of the series to express their dissatisfaction.
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The game was last slated to launch in October 2025 after numerous delays, and now finally has a solid release date. During Gamescom Opening Night Live, it was confirmed the action RPG would launch on October 21st — just in time for Halloween.
The story is bound to be a wild ride, as players control both the customizable Elder vampire Phyre, and Malkavian detective Fabien. Not only is Fabien speaking to Phyyre in her mind (showing them his past in the 1920s), but Malkavians are effectively insane.
Players will seek to recover their powers, and finally bring closure to an unsolved case that threatens The Masquerade and mortals.
The press release further elaborated that while Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is being sold for $59.99, there is more on offer. Pre-ordering nabs you the “Bloodlines Nostalgia Jukebox” — a decor item for your Haven featuring music by Rik Schaffer, composer of the original cult classic Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.
There is also a Deluxe Edition and Premium Edition for $69.99 and $89.99 respectively. The Deluxe Edition features “Santa Monica Memories,” a cosmetic DLC pack with decor items inspired by the original game — available on its own for $11.99. What has fans riled however is the content of the Premium Edition.
The Premium Edition features both the Santa Monica Memories DLC and the “Shadows & Silk” DLC. That DLC lets the player choose two more vampire clans- Lasombra or Toreador. If you don’t buy the Premium Edition, Shadows & Silk will cost $21.99.
Toreador were one of seven playable in the original game, while Bloodlines 2 features four, ignoring the two DLC clans. That clan was also shown in a trailer for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 with no indication of it being DLC, albeit six years ago.
Fans of the series were unhappy with the news, taking to the comments section under the official uploads on the World of Darkness and developer The Chinese Room‘s respective YouTube channels; expressing their dissatisfaction over “removing” clans to “paywall” them, and hating the game featuring a protagonist rather than offering true a character creation mode that allows them to design their physical appearance.
Others made a call to arms to avoid pre-ordering the game. The discussion was similarly tumultuous on Steam.
In addition to the above, fans were worried they wouldn’t be getting an open-world RPG experience with a character they created, being more linear, and comparing it to Avowed. There were also comparisons to Cyberpunk 2077, including elements of the story (Johnny Silverhand serving a similar role to Fabian), and its potential to be buggy or lackluster on launch. Even the DLC featuring the Ankaran Sarcophagus was criticized as illogical fan-service.
The wait is also sure to have made the revelations about what the game will be sting even more. ‘Development hell’ doesn’t even begin to describe what Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has been through.
Announced back in 2019 — and initially under Hardsuit Labs — Creative Director Martin Ka’ai Cluney would go on to state “it’s definitely taking some political stances on what we think are right and wrong.”
The game then suffered delays practically every year into the next until this year (though the COVID-19 pandemic was likely a contributing factor). During which time both their Lead Narrative Designer and Creative Director left the studio (with the former saying he was fired) along with the Senior Narrative Designer later that year.
In 2021, Paradox Interactive confirmed Hardsuit Labs would no longer be working on the game, with The Chinese Room revealed to be taking their place in 2023. Even then, the game was delayed, but the window shrank from the first half of 2025 to October.
