The wait for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 might be longer than expected, as the CEO of Paradox Interactive doesn't believe that the game will be released until the second half of 2021.
It's been a bumpy ride for Bloodlines 2 over the past year. The game was delayed for the second time back in August, where it was pushed back to a loose 2021 release date. Since then, the Creative Director and Narrative Lead left the project at a late point in development, with the Senior Narrative Director leaving a few months later. There has also been a notable absence of gameplay footage, with the last trailer featuring cinematic footage of the characters dancing.
It's clear that there are major problems going on with the Bloodlines 2 project, and fans shouldn't expect the game to be released anytime soon. Paradox Interactive CEO Ebba Ljungerud told Avanza that she doesn't believe Bloodlines 2 will be released during the first half of 2021.
There are a couple of reasons given for the delay of Bloodlines 2. The game is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series S/X, and the pandemic affected Sony and Microsoft's ability to ship development kits to developers. The pandemic is also a big factor for the delay of the game, and if it continues, then further delays could be on the way. As such, it's possible that Bloodlines 2 could be pushed back even further, but that would depend on circumstances that are outside of Paradox's control.
The original Bloodlines was released back in 2004 and it was followed by a fifteen-year gap between Vampire: The Masquerade video games. Paradox has been releasing visual novels based on the license over the past year, but Bloodlines 2 is the game that fans of the tabletop RPG have been waiting a long time for. The issues surrounding the development of Bloodlines 2 are concerning, but no one could have predicted the pandemic, so it's understandable why the game would need a bit more time to ship in the best state possible.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 will be released for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X in 2021.
Source: Avanza