First Details On The VAMPIRE THE MASQUERADE - BLOODLINES 2 Setting Have Been Released Online

There's no denying that Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 was the biggest positive reveal of this week's GDC 2019 (sorry, Google Seliv... Stadia). While Paradox Interactive has been teasing a sequel to one of the most praised role-playing video games of all time for many weeks, the fact that Bloodlines 2 is real and coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in Q1 2020 is nothing short of amazing.

The game is being developed at Hardsuit Labs, the studio behind Blacklight: Retribution. In a recent post on PlayStation Blog, the sequel's Narrative Lead Brian Mitsoda, who also co-wrote the script for the first Masquerade, explained how Bloodlines 2 came to be. According to Mitsoda, it started with a text: “Would you be interested in working on a Bloodlines 2?” from his good friend Ka’ai Cluney.

As revealed in Mitsoda's statement, his first thought was, "“Would I?” But as we texted back and forth, something happened — an idea started to emerge, the embryonic formation of what we are announcing today: Bloodlines 2," Mitsoda explained. "It’s still overwhelming to think about how many stars had to align to make this happen." Together, they started fleshing out the world of Bloodlines 2 during many discussions in late 2015, and to their surprise, the founders of Hardsuit Andy Kipling and Russ Nelson have agreed to chase their idea. After a pitch meeting with Paradox (who acquired the World of Darkness IP in 2015), they finally received a green light in February 2016.

When it comes to Bloodlines 2's setting, the Hardusit Labs team has decided to allow the player explore their home city of Seattle. Although the first Bloodlines took place in Los Angeles, it doesn't mean that Seattle will somehow be a less interesting playground, as "Seattle has always attracted pioneers, artists, and opportunists — some dreamers, some criminals, sometimes both. In the 21st century, it’s a city whose identity is constantly struggling to retain its legacy and define its future. It’s a city of artists and craftsman, but also home to some of the biggest corporations in the world," Mitsoda said.

In the sequel, Seattle is torn apart by powerful vampire factions during "a conflict between the old and new, the weird and the wealthy, and an ideal setting for The Masquerade. Bloodlines 2 is a reflection of modern Seattle and within it we’ve built a rich mythology based on the city’s history and present, filtered through the lens of the World of Darkness. You will stalk these streets, you will meet its power players, and you will claw and charm your way into the inner circle of Kindred society."

Considering that Bloodlines 2 has been in development since 2016, there's a chance that the studio will manage to live up to the cult-classic status of the original, joining The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, Divinity: Original Sin II, and Pillars of Eternity as the best big-budget RPG games of this generation of consoles.

Sired in an act of vampire terrorism, your existence ignites the war for Seattle's blood trade. Enter uneasy alliances with the creatures who control the city and uncover the sprawling conspiracy which plunged Seattle into a bloody civil war between powerful vampire factions.