Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 finally revealed

The Game Developer Conference (GDC) isn't exactly known for game announcements, but something that's been teased for a while is a sequel to Vampire: The Masqeuerade - Bloodlines. An app called Tender was hinting at a return for the series, and that finally became a reality when Paradox Interactive announced Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 late last night.

Paradox and developer Hardsuit Labs promise to let us become "the ultimate vampire" as we navigate complex political relationships and experience reactive storytelling and interesting characters, much like we saw with the first game.

The premise of the game is that you are a result of vampire insurrection, and the vampire factions of Seattle are now at war because of it. You need to choose a clan and ally yourself with these factions, and there's also combat too, which is melee-focused and fast-paced.

In Bloodlines 2 we can expect to see Seattle recreated in the World of Darkness, which should look a whole lot nicer with Nvidia GeForce RTX as the official graphics partner for the game, bringing DLSS technology (deep learning supersampling) and real-time ray tracing too.

Brian Mitsoda worked on the original game and returns as Lead Narrative Designer for Bloodlines 2, saying: "When Paradox announced they were acquiring the World of Darkness IP, I immediately started thinking about what it would be like to return to Vampire: The Masquerade," Mitsoda said. "Our aim has been to carry on the signature themes that made Bloodlines unique - particularly its dark tone, atmosphere, and humor - and I think that fans of the original will love what we're doing with Bloodlines 2."

"Fans of the original Bloodlines have been hungry for a sequel for a long time, and we began to hear those suggestions — well, demands — as soon as we began to work with the World of Darkness," explained Ebba Ljungerud, CEO of Paradox Interactive. "We all understood what this opportunity could mean, but it was essential for both us and for Hardsuit Labs that any sequel should be done properly; a true successor guided by the people who knew what made the original so special. Keeping this game a secret for the last few years has been quite the Masquerade for us! It's both exciting and relieving to finally let everybody know what we have in store for them."

"At Hardsuit Labs we're proud to have assembled a team of industry veterans who have worked on blockbuster titles, ranging from narrative-driven RPGs to action-packed shooters," added Andy Kipling, CEO of Hardsuit Labs. "We started working on our pitch almost immediately after we heard that Paradox had acquired the IP and I'm thrilled that Paradox recognized our passion and abilities. We are honored to be bringing Bloodlines 2 to fans all over the world."

The game will launch on PC and consoles in Q1 2020, with pre-orders already open for £50.99 ($59.99 USD/59.99 euros) via the game's website as well as Steam, the Epic Games Store, GOG, and the Paradox Store.

We also have the Blood Moon Edition, which contains the Season of the Wolf season pass and extra story content and can be pre-ordered for £69.99 ($89.99/89.99 euros). The press release didn't mention the Unsanctioned Edition, but this was also spotted on Steam for £54.99 (no US price was given, but it's 69.99 euros).

You can catch a trailer and brand new screens below, if you're intrigued to see how all of this looks. Have you been waiting for a sequel?