Bloodlines 2 isn't a "greatest hits" as a redo isn't "desirable," says VTM boss

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 feels, in many ways, like a flash point. It could reawaken the franchise, or it could be the final death for World of Darkness' virtual universes. While the TTRPG is still going strong, propped up by ever-popular live-action plays like LA and New York By Night and Alexander Ward's new spinoff, Project Ghostlight, more recent VTM videogames have struggled to make a real impact. While I will go to bat over Bloodhunt, Sharkmob's ill-fated battle royale, its struggle to contain cheaters nailed that coffin shut, and while Swansong's LA Noire detective vibes sounded great on paper, it was more irritating than enthralling in practice. Even Draw Distance's visual novels haven't quite managed to keep up the momentum, with the team's most recent endeavor, Reckoning of New York, earning muted praise. Kindred everywhere feel like they're shaking their fists, longing for the good ol' days of Troika's troubled but pioneering RPG, Bloodlines. A full, long-awaited sequel, then, it's safe to say that Bloodlines 2 has a lot riding on it.

But the much-beloved Jason Carl, White Wolf's brand marketing manager for The World of Darkness and the storyteller of hit live plays LA and New York by Night, isn't worried about the specter the original Bloodlines casts over The Chinese Room's upcoming PC game. Instead, the focus with Bloodlines 2 is on moving forward and forging a new path for the brand after a busy but somewhat underwhelming few years.

"I think that [the original] Bloodlines is one of those videogame experiences that happened so long ago that the circumstances of its release are, if not generally forgotten, at least misremembered or misinterpreted," he tells me. "What it has become today, and what it means for people today, is very different from what it was on release and what it meant to people then. I think that's fascinating. It's got a legacy that casts a long shadow."

"What made Bloodlines the experience that people remember was a combination of many different elements, many of which were not intentional at the time. They coalesced into something that I think was greater than the sum of its parts, but it's hard to do that intentionally. So, for us, the process [of designing Bloodlines 2] started with really trying to dissect the elements of the original Bloodlines that still resonate today, and what made that experience so memorable. What are the parts that can't be duplicated - or shouldn't be duplicated - for modern audiences, and how do we make that work together in a way that delivers the kind of satisfying experience that people want, but without simply repeating ourselves? We really wanted to take care not to issue a 'greatest hits album,' or to repeat something that would then become formulaic. Nobody wants to do that.

"[Bloodlines 2] had to be its own unique story; it had to capture the feeling of what it's like to be a monster. That's one of the core elements of Bloodlines, as well as Vampire: The Masquerade and The World of Darkness. You are the monster, nobody else. All of these terrible things you're doing are your choices and yours alone, and you must deal with the consequences, for good or for ill.

"I think that the clear intention of our approach and the soul searching about what's great about Bloodlines actually benefits our players," he muses. "What they're getting is kind of the best of both worlds. [Bloodlines 2] won't be the same experience that they knew in Bloodlines - I'm not even sure that would be possible or even desirable. What they get is the benefit of 20-plus years of hindsight; they get the experience of great storytelling elements, new modern development techniques, and a completely different story about Vampire: The Masquerade from a very different point of view - the Elder. Yet it still delivers that visceral, bloody experience that you want from a Bloodlines game."

I ask Carl if Bloodlines 2's release feels like it'll be an inflection point for Vampire: The Masquerade, and The World of Darkness as a whole. It's no secret that Baldur's Gate 3 has drawn eyes back to traditional TTRPGs, and that, in its wake, we've seen new DnD games and a resurgence of tabletop-inspired adventures.

"I definitely think it's an inflection point. At least of a sort," he tells me. "I think it's something that we've promised to deliver [to] our audience, the Vamily [VTM's community], ever since White Wolf reappeared on the scene eight years ago. It feels great to finally be delivering on that promise; the thing that we wanted to do for so long is finally becoming a reality. It feels really good to be able to hand this to our fans and let them enjoy what [we've] taken so long to build with tremendous blood, sweat, and tears - but mostly blood."

As someone who's been waiting for the Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 release date for a very, very long time, I'm equally excited to see what happens next. There's a fervor around VTM that's been missing for a long time - a spark that feels primed to ignite and send everyone into a frenzy (hopefully not a lethal one). As we slink ever closer to that fateful day in October, my fingers are crossed - the World of Darkness has never looked so bright.