Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 developer The Chinese Room has been hit with layoffs, confirmed the game's publisher, Paradox Interactive. It's unclear how many developers have been impacted, though Paradox claims that development on Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 "is unaffected" by the cuts.
The first reports of the layoffs came from now-former developers at The Chinese Room, who took to LinkedIn to announce that they had lost their jobs. Spotted by Game Developer, one employee wrote, "We are none of us safe from the headsman's axe when redundancy time comes around." At least nine former employees have confirmed they were laid off, though the total number of cuts remains unknown.
Following the LinkedIn posts and Game Developer's report, Paradox Interactive confirmed the layoffs to PC Gamer, with a statement that reads "Development on Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is unaffected by the recent staffing changes at The Chinese Room; the game is still scheduled for an October release. We wish those affected the best of luck on their future endeavors."
It's no secret that development on Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 has been through the wringer, so to speak, as we've been waiting on this game since it was first announced in 2019. It was also at risk of being canceled at least once before, when it was being developed by Hardsuit Labs.
The Chinese Room took over development in 2021, and has been picking up where Hardsuit Labs left off while also developing its own titles like Still Wakes The Deep. These layoffs are the latest event in the long development journey that Bloodlines 2 has gone through.
Earlier this year, Paradox Interactive confirmed that Bloodlines 2 is due for an October release date, though a specific release date has yet to be provided. According to Paradox, the game is "done," and the studio is working on polishing it and squashing every bug it can up to its October date. After all this time, seeing what arrives when Bloodlines 2 is out and on shelves will be interesting. Hopefully, it's a triumphant return for the series and the game that fans have been waiting for.
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