It appears Paradox Interactive, the publisher of the highly anticipated, though previously controversial, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, might be reconsidering their plan to offer two vampire clans as downloadable content available for purchase from day one. The language remains carefully chosen, stopping short of an outright confirmation, yet the indication is there, prompted by public reaction, they’re preparing launch “adjustments” concerning how players can access the Lasombra and Toreador clans.
For those unaware, the initial announcement that these two clans were to be bundled in the Shadows and Silk DLC, priced at £18.69/€21.99/$21.99, coincided with the unveiling of a new trailer and the game’s intended final release date. To access these clans, players would have needed to either buy the DLC separately, along with the base game, or invest in the premium edition, priced at £74.99/€89.99/$89.99.
A message appeared late yesterday on the Bloodlines 2 Discord channel. DebbieElla, World of Darkness community developer, hinted at impending revisions. Her statement read, “We are acknowledging your feedback regarding the availability of the Lasombra and Toreador clans, and are implementing changes prior to launch to take this into account.” She further stated that they would share additional information soon regarding the specifics of these changes.
Beyond the Discord announcement, the only further information available is a promotional note regarding a livestream scheduled for today, August 27th, at 4PM BST / 5PM CEST / 11AM ET on the World of Darkness Twitch channel. This stream could be where Paradox reveals more details regarding the planned alterations.
Until this recent announcement, Paradox and The Chinese Room, the developers of Bloodlines 2, had defended their decision to make the two clans a paid add-on. In an interview at Gamescom, our own James questioned the developers regarding the decision. The response indicated that the Toreador and Lasombra clans represented additional development beyond the original scope, justifying the extra cost.
Ian Thomas, narrative director for Bloodlines 2, stated that the game has seen “a massive amount of story content and features” added during development, further explaining Paradox’s willingness to push the release date back to ensure that the game lands “where the players want it.”
Project design director Jey Hicks added, insisting that the additional content wasn’t merely “fluff.” We await details concerning these “adjustments.” A complete reversal of the original plan could understandably frustrate those who have already pre-ordered the premium edition specifically for the extra clans. We will provide updates as Paradox reveals their revised approach.