Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 likely won't release during the first half of 2021

It looks like we will have to wait a bit longer for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 likely won't release during the first half of 2021, according to its publisher, Paradox.

Speaking in an interview Swedish financial publication Placera (thanks, Eurogamer), the company's CEO dropped the news, and also stated part of the reason for the delay has to do with bringing the game to PS5 and Xbox Series X.

"I do not think it will come in the first half of the year, but we will see", said Paradox CEO Ebba Ljungerud.

"The schedule for Bloodlines 2 has been affected by both staff dropouts and the pandemic. The delays led to Paradox making the decision to adapt the game also for the new console generations Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X which have been released recently. This adaptation work has in itself contributed to the delay in the launch.

"To be able to develop for the next generation, you have to have development kits from the manufacturers. And I'm pretty sure that both Sony and Microsoft were affected by the pandemic because they did not have that many development kits."

The Hardsuit Labs-developed title was originally slated to release in Q1 2020, but was delayed to later in the year. The game was delayed again this year back in August to some time in 2021.

As far as staff dropouts are concerned, Ljungerud is referencing the scandal involving Chris Avellone which led to the companies removing all of his work from Bloodlines 2 following multiple allegations of misconduct.

Following Avellone's work being scrubbed, it was announced that the development team lost its lead narrative designer Brian Mitsoda, and creative director Ka’ai Cluney.