Bloodlines 2 has had one of the rockiest development cycles in modern gaming history, and even rivals the dev hell of the original in some ways. The hype train is still in full swing, so the team of The Chinese Room felt the need to address the issue at hand.
Since its inception with the original Vampire The Masquerade, the series has garnered a cult following, and the announcement of a follow-up to the dark and gritty, vampire-themed RPG was met with positive and negative outroar alike.
It appears the narrative director, Ian Thomas, is trying to lower expectations of players who are inevitably comparing the still massive RPG to games like Baldur’s Gate 3, or the city-sized playground of Grand Theft Auto.
Thomas describes Bloodlines 2 as a lot more intimate and narrative-driven, focused on creating the right atmosphere for the World of Darkness, whereas these other titles are a lot more open.
Bloodlines 2 Is Going To Be A More Focused RPG Journey
According to Webb, Bloodlines 2 isn’t designed to rival Baldur’s Gate 3’s 100-hour journeys or even Rockstar’s huge open worlds.
He said: “If you’re telling a specific story, I think you need a shape to pour the story into, like a mold.
“If you completely open up all of the options and throw somebody into a space, how do you make that character the pillar of the story?”
Comparing it to Baldur’s Gate 3, Thomas put it in context using tabletop RPG terms.
“For me Baldur’s Gate 3 is writing an entire roleplaying setting, whereas what we’ve done is write a roleplaying module.”
The team at The Chinese Room is known for narrative-centered games, even before taking on the task of finishing Bloodlines 2, so this doesn’t really come as a surprise.
They’re more about player choices, great interactions, and putting forward the setting itself, which – hopefully – will become its own character in this new Bloodlines game.
Let’s hope The Chinese Room is able to pull off the dense storytelling, branching dialogue, and make sure that the decisions you make do have an impact – just like the first Bloodlines did back in the day. It’s true that Bloodlines 2 will not have the sheer scope of other open-world titles, but we doubt that this was the goal.
Years of developmental changes and unfulfilled deadlines puts a heavy weight of expectation on the release, which is buoyed by the intoxicating nostalgia of its fanbase. There are many reasons why Bloodlines 2 is destined to fail, but this latest update at least shows the development team have a clear sense of what the game will be, rather than trying to cover too many bases.
Why Comparing Bloodlines 2 to Open-World Titles Is a Mistake
The director emphasized that comparing Bloodlines 2 to massive-budget projects creates unfair expectations. Baldur’s Gate 3 was a once-in-a-generation RPG with years of development and a scale that few studios can match. Grand Theft Auto remains a juggernaut built on hundreds of millions in resources.
Bloodlines 2, by contrast, is a more contained project.
Thomas argued that leaning into its strengths, like atmosphere, characters, and moral ambiguity, will help it carve its own identity rather than chase giants, the same way the original did.
Bloodlines 2 Release Date
Just what narrative director Ian Thomas means will all be revealed next month, when Bloodlines 2 launches on October 21.
