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Well it sucks
In a somewhat shocking turn of events that places the future of the long-awaited Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines Following on shaky ground, narrative designer Brian Mitsoda was fired with what appears to be a little warning from superiors. Along with Mitsoda, Creative Director Ka’ai Cluney was also fired from Hardsuit Labs, the team behind Bloodlines 2.
Mitsoda, who was involved in the original design of the game, was a bit of a refuge from a storm where many fans worried about the sequel to the beloved cult classic. His dismissal follows a previously announced delay which Bloodlines 2 back to a tenuous 2021 date.
Paradox Interactive, which owns a 30% stake in Hardsuit Labs, released this statement:
We appreciate and appreciate the contributions of Brian and Ka’ai, who were instrumental in setting the storyline and dark tone of the game, and helped ensure that we make a true successor to the iconic Bloodlines. We wish them the best in their future endeavors.
Mitsoda also released a statement, sent in an email to Rock, Paper, Shotgun. The full text follows:
Until recently, I was the narrative manager of a video game called Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 for Hardsuit Labs, Inc published by Paradox Interactive (which owns 30% of Hardsuit Labs). After almost five years of involvement in the studio, I was suddenly fired on 07/16/20.
That this was a shock to me is to undersell it. I worked on Bloodlines 2 for almost five years. The story and the main cast were originally designed in my living room. I helped develop the pitch for Hardsuit Labs and helped present the project to Paradox in Las Vegas. I have been in charge of the story from the start, working long days and sometimes weekends to deliver a successor to Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, and I was never led to believe that I had failed. Obviously, I’ve been involved in PR and marketing as well, although that was one of the hardest parts for me. I’m a pretty private person – the press and crowds tend to trigger my social anxiety a lot (which, if you’ve ever wondered about gloves, are ‘armors’ that make me feel less exposed in clothes. situations that trigger my anxiety).
Bloodlines and the fandom of the game means the world to me. So I lent my legacy with the franchise, my name, and my involvement in the marketing efforts for the game, even when it was extremely difficult and had mental and physical consequences. All because I wanted to do what was best for the game and the team.
The pride of the work, the expectations of the fans and the support of colleagues who started out as fans brought me through these five long years. And I’m incredibly disappointed and frustrated to say that this is where it ends for me on the project.
I was not involved in the conversations that led to the decision to delay production and to my knowledge there has been no delay caused by the Bloodlines 2 narrative development. I am confident and proud of the work that my team and I have done. When this work will be seen and what form it will take, I don’t know.
It was a pleasure working on this game and with many people at Hardsuit Labs and Paradox and I’m sorry I couldn’t see it until the end. I’ve spent years on some of the best characters and dialogue I’ve ever written. It means a lot to hear the Bloodlines community and I hope what is finally delivered is as satisfying as I wanted it to be. Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout the project.
Industry veteran Alexandre Mandryka takes on the role of Creative Director. Mandryka has already worked on the Far cry, Warhammer 40K, and Assassin’s Creed franchises.
It is never good to see two senior executives in a company leave without any warning, especially in the late stages of a project. It hurts even more to know that Mitsoda has invested so much in the project and won’t be around to see it finished.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is slated for release in 2021 on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Brian Mitsoda was fired as narrative manager on Bloodlines 2 [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]
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