Vampire The Masquerade Bloodhunt is officially dead. I should be sad, but instead, I'm just thankful for the memories

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt is a slightly obscure World of Darkness battle royale game. You probably haven't heard of it, and that's okay. Gameplay was relatively simple: choose your clan (or class), drop into the rain-soaked streets of a nighttime Prague, gear up, then be the last team standing. There's nothing revolutionary here - the setting does a lot of the heavy lifting - but it's a fun multiplayer loop with gorgeous visuals and interesting virtual translations of several of the TTRPG's core disciplines (or skills).

Given you likely haven't heard of it, it's perhaps no surprise that Bloodhunt struggled to stick the landing. While it peaked at 29,475 back when it launched in full in 2022, it largely found itself sitting at around a steady 1,000 players before it officially stopped releasing new content in 2023. We got two extra clans with the Ventrue and Tremere, three new archetypes (subclasses), and a slew of new cosmetics and events, but that wasn't enough to keep things going. In October 2025, Sharkmob confirmed that Bloodhunt was shutting down after a four-year run. Today is the day it meets its final death.

Bloodhunt did a lot of things right. It's one of the better virtual examples of the World of Darkness, with its dreary, nighttime Prague really capturing the noir feel of the tabletop game. Its verticality and parkour are also remarkably smooth (they still hold up), and let you live out the freerunning, don't give a damn vampire fantasy. Crawling up timeworn buildings and soaring through the skies gives you a sense of power that I haven't really felt in other battle royale games, which largely take place on the ground. It meant that finding your enemies wasn't always easy - especially because there are random humans and members of the Second Inquisition wandering around - so knowing that they could genuinely pop out of nowhere as the ring closed in was enough to send the (undead) vitae surging through my veins.

I also need to take a moment to shout out the game's fashion. As a Toreador player turned Ventrue on tabletop, fashion is everything, and while Bloodhunt's facial tech isn't exactly stellar (Bloodlines 1 still has it beat), who cares when you look this good. My Nosferatu were decked out in utility gear, while my Toreador looked like she'd walked straight out of Night City. My Tremere, by contrast, really dialled into that inner warlock with deep reds and midnight blacks, and my Brujah sported fur-lined leather and bloodied hand wraps. Of all the hours I've spent customizing characters in games like Baldur's Gate 3, Dragon Age, and even Diablo, I've never fallen in love with videogame fashion in the way that I did with Bloodhunt. It perfectly encapsulated the feel of each individual clan, without ever going the garish, collab-heavy route of Warzone. It matched the feel of the world, and genuinely looked good; even lower-tier outfits felt like a worthwhile buy.

I'm not going to sit here with rose-tinted glasses and tell you that Bloodhunt was flawless, however - it's shutting down. It had severe issues with balance (playing either of the Nosferatu archetypes felt like an instant W) and suffered from a tsunami of cheaters that it just wasn't prepared to handle. It also didn't have the mass-market appeal of an Apex Legends or Warzone, simply because the VTM setting and battle royale genre don't immediately go hand-in-hand.

It's also worth noting that it launched at possibly the worst time. In the wake of Fortnite's success, every developer and their dog began to spin up battle royales. With Apex Legends, Warzone, Fortnite, PUBG, and myriad other BRs all vying for space in an already overcrowded market, it was never going to be an easy climb for Bloodhunt, a vampire-focused shooter based on a relatively obscure IP. It had to come out of the gates swinging, and unfortunately, it didn't do that.

Yet, when I returned to Prague just a few days ago, I found a wealth of players just hanging out, writing 'are there any Jeanette lovers?' in the chat, and asking if people were excited for Bloodhunt 2. Elysium was filled to bursting, with people busting out some sick moves, strutting like their lives depended on it, and zooming around for the sheer fun of it. A lot had changed since I last played: each of the Primogen's respective zones had been better fleshed out, and I started to notice cheeky little easter eggs that I hadn't seen before. The cover art for the 'Camarilla' source book on the wall; that sneaky little reference on the Brujah's 'Crocodile Tears' jacket. Four years ago, I had entered this world as a Fledgling, now I've got a little more experience (that's code for 'I'm old').

I had also largely played Bloodhunt solo, or with my partner during the early stages of our relationship. It's a point we often reminisce over - the memories are good, even if our gameplay wasn't. This time, I returned with an arsenal of friends, switching up our archetypes and teams, screaming down the mic, and throwing Asylum-style dance parties that other people began to join in with. As we vibed and screeched and shot at each other, it dawned on me: I'd never have met them if it wasn't for Bloodhunt. I'd never have wandered into my local game store and tried out VTM. I wouldn't be playing my irritable K-pop Ventrue every Thursday if it weren't for this game.

There are some articles you write that genuinely make you smile: a flicker of a memory from Gamescom, an interview that made you laugh. There are some articles that cause you to reflect: what does this actually mean for gaming, and why should I care? And then there are articles that make you sad. Sure, they're few and far between, but they exist. In some ways they act as a catharsis: a way of getting your thoughts out and onto a virtual piece of paper. In some ways, they make you angry, or they make you cry. I thought this article would be one of those. I'm happy I'm wrong.

So while I'm sad that Bloodhunt is gone, especially in the wake of a series of lackluster VTM games, this article isn't a requiem. Instead, it's a celebration - an Elysium party worthy of the Voermans. Bloodhunt opened up so many pathways I never expected it to. It's spawned so many happy memories, both new and old. So thanks, Sharkmob, for a great game; for a great community, and so many sleepless Prague nights. Onto the next one: GGWP.