Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is rumored to be targeting a release date of October 27, 2023. (Images: Paradox Interactive)

Rumors and speculation have surfaced that the much-delayed Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is potentially being released on October of this year.

After Paradox Interactive acquired White Wolf (publisher of the World of Darkness RPGs, including Vampire: The Masquerade) in 2015, a sequel to 2004's Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines was put into development by 2019. Bloodlines 2 was originally being developed by Hardsuit Labs. However, Paradox Interactive announced it Hardsuit Labs would no longer be the primary developer in February 2021 and that Bloodlines 2 would continue its progress with an unnamed game development studio.

Due to multiple internal issues, Bloodlines 2 has been delayed multiple times, even after pre-orders were made available through several online video game storefronts. The game seemed perpetually stuck in "development hell", but a recent rumor may have revealed the light at the end of the tunnel for VtM: Bloodlines fans.

It appears the rumor stems from two key sources. Some have pointed to the official World of Darkness (owned by Paradox Interactive) announcement on social media of its attendance at PAX West.

Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 has been teasing a big reveal at PAX West starting in 2 weeks. I guess the game will get a release date which is the 27th of October. The image below is from Plaions online shop which is the physical distributor of the game in some regions. https://t.co/fA1S70ispk pic.twitter.com/lBFeTBOjCq

— Gamer&Trader (@GamerTrader1) August 21, 2023

In addition, there are those who pointed to the Plaion.com online store listings of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 and its different editions (First Blood and Unsanctioned) with a projected release of October 27, 2023 (see screenshot below).

Fans on Reddit over at the r/GamingLeaksAndRumours have reacted to this potential release date with mixed feelings. On one side, there are fans who are looking forward to finally seeing this much-awaited sequel become available for purchase. On the other hand, some are jaded with skepticism given the notoriety Bloodlines 2 has earned over multiple delays. At best, the latter group of fans are "cautiously optimistic".

It is true that Paradox Interactive's World of Darkness has officially announced their presence in the upcoming PAX West in Seattle, WA on September 1 to 4 this year. However, this is for the Vampire: The Masquerade IP, which primarily involves the tabletop RPG and its other spinoffs, such as the upcoming VTM: Justice VR game, as well as other World of Darkness properties such as Werewolf: The Apocalypse.

VTM: Justice awaits you in our booth at PAX, together with all the other surprises 👀 https://t.co/jp2uhPN8nd

— World of Darkness (@worldofdarkness) August 18, 2023

As for the Plaion store listings, it is so far unconfirmed that this is the official release date and may merely be a placeholder, as with other games marked as coming soon. In relation to this, other major storefronts such as Steam and GOG have not set a tentative release date for their listings of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2.

The last official update from Paradox Interactive regarding the status of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 was on June 7, 2023. Posted on the official Paradox Interactive website, the development team announced that refunds were being made to pre-orders of the physical copies of the game. But they also did mention something was in the works for September:

It's been quite a while between updates while we've had our heads down working on the game. We remain just as dedicated to delivering a great Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines game as we were when we announced, and are looking forward to showing you more in September this year.

We acknowledge it was a long time ago that many of you pre-ordered Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. As development continues, we will be updating the game's editions and bonus content, and we want to provide the best value to those of you who supported us via digital pre-order after all this time. We are thus offering refunds to anyone who has pre-ordered any edition of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. As part of this process, we are proactively refunding all pre-orders of physical products, including the Collector's Edition. The digital versions of the First Blood Edition, Unsanctioned Edition and Blood Moon Edition remain, but can be refunded if you choose.

We're excited to show you more and hope to have all of you with us in September when we reveal more.

Could the World of Darkness presence at PAX West be the event where the Bloodlines 2 dev team reveals the official release of the game? Or will it simply be an update to the current status in progress?

Given the success of Larian Studios' Baldur's Gate 3 (based on the Dungeons & Dragons IP), it would be awesome for fans to see another beloved CRPG make a triumphant return this 2023. But given the high standards Baldur's Gate 3 has also set for AAA games, will Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 be able to even come close to that, given its history of delays and troubled development?

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is an action roleplaying video game based on the popular tabletop roleplaying game of the same name. In it, players create a vampire character from one of the great clans such as Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Tremere, Toreador, and Ventrue. While vampires possess supernatural powers and thirst for the blood of humans, they are also under a unifying organized structure called The Masquerade. The Masquerade exists to both protect the clans from being discovered and being hunted to extinction, as well as keeping order among the creatures of the night. As with the first Bloodlines game, players must balance their monstrous power with retaining their humanity, lest they fall prey to the beast within.

Built on the Unreal Engine 4, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 will be available for the following platforms: Microsoft Windows PC, Sony Playstation 4 and Playstation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.