Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 News

Paradox take "first step" in response to Bloodlines 2's DLC clan backlash with PlayStation refunds, promise more info next week

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 publisher Paradox have gotten the ball rolling on the "adjustments" they promised in response to the controversy over the game's day-one paid DLC vampire clans.

As we've covered previously, the Toreador and Lasombra clans were originally revealed to be locked behind a purchase of either Bloodines' £18.69/€21.99/$21.99 Shadows and Silk DLC pack, or the £74.99/€89.99/$89.99 premium edition that said DLC comes bundled with. Cue understandable unhappiness, and Paradox swiftly moving to declare they'd rejig some stuff before launch.

The world was first introduced to the gothic-punk tabletop RPG Vampire: The Masquerade in 1991. Ever since, four subsequent editions of the game and numerous media products based on the IP, including novels, a TV show and various video games, have been released. In terms of the video games, it is 2004’s Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, developed by Troika Games, that arguably left the best impression on critics and players alike, eventually establishing itself as a cult classic, despite some technical issues and disappointing initial sales.

Not long after Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines was released, director Leonard Boyarsky mentioned the team was interested in developing a sequel or an expansion. Publisher Activision, however, was unlikely to approve one. Talk of a sequel reignited in 2015, when Paradox Interactive acquired White Wolf, a role-playing game and book publisher that owned the license to Vampire: The Masquerade. Following the deal, Paradox contracted... Read more

Paradox issues Bloodlines 2 refunds after backlash over paywalled clans

As a hopeless Toreador fanatic, I was pretty gutted when Paradox revealed that both the charming Roses and their shadowy cousins, the Lasombra, would be locked behind a paid Bloodlines 2 DLC. Shadows and Silk was initially set to cost $21.99 separately, and was included as part of the premium pre-order edition of the game, but in response to a wave of backlash, Paradox has confirmed that it's making some "adjustments" to that paywall. While we still don't quite know what that entails, a new post confirms when we'll get an update, while also stating that it's issuing refunds to anyone who bought the premium edition on the PlayStation store.

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Bloodlines' endings are "canon but not necessarily true," says VTM boss

I consider myself to be, in many ways, the embodiment of chaos. My favored Dungeons and Dragons class is a bard (obviously), my favorite VTM clan is Toreador (obviously), and my favorite World of Darkness is, well, the Camarilla (didn't see that one coming, did you?) I've played Bloodlines many times before, and experienced its many endings. I've been LaCroix's right-hand blood mage, Ming Xiao's hopelessly obsessed sycophant, and Nines Rodriguez's hell-raising Anarch in arms; the night wears many faces (especially when it's Malkavian). But, during my preview of Bloodlines 2, I found an intriguing little lore titbit that inspired the question: "which ending is canon?" It's a query I pitch to WoD brand manager Jason Carl at Gamescom, and his answer is... interesting.

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Gamescom 2025 — Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 Hands-On — A Worthy Resurrection

It feels like forever since we first got a look at what Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 has in store for fans, but it seems the team at Paradox is ready to lift the veil on one of the most anticipated sequels in years. I also had the chance to go hands-on at gamescom 2025, thanks to NVIDIA.

The long-awaited sequel to the 2004 cult classic has undergone significant changes since its original announcement, including a complete developer switch from Hardsuit Labs to The Chinese Room. Still, the core appeal of inhabiting a vampire’s unlife in modern Seattle remains intact. If the 30 minutes I had with the game are any indication, the project is in good hands.

Running on an RTX-based laptop with DLSS 4 enabled, I had hands-on time with the first section of the game — from creating a character to a quick glimpse of combat, Seattle, and the broader story. While it was only a tease of what the full game will bring to fans of the franchise, Vampire: The Masquerade —... Read more