The Chinese Room, the studio working on Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, has been hit with a wave of layoffs. Despite claims that the game is still on schedule to hit its October 2025 launch, players are panicking.
Bloodlines 2 Studio Hit With Layoffs Months Before the Game’s Release
News of the layoffs first broke on LinkedIn, when Chinese Room Technical Producer Pascal Siddons made a post on the social media site. According to the developer, he had been let go for redundancy reasons. “None of us are safe from the headsman’s axe when redundancy time comes around. I’ve spent the last 4 years at The Chinese Room on Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 and Still Wakes the Deep.”
Siddons wasn’t the only one impacted by the layoffs, as several employees at The Chinese Room revealed they had also been let go. With Bloodlines 2 just months away from its release, the studio shakeup immediately raised concerns with fans. However, publisher Paradox Interactive released a statement to PC Gamer in an attempt to quell any fears the community may be having.
“Development on Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is unaffected by the recent staffing changes at The Chinese Room. The game is still scheduled for an October release. We wish those affected the best of luck on their future endeavors.” Despite the quick response, many players remained skeptical because of the layoffs.
Players Are Now Worried About ‘Vampire: The Masquerade’ Sequel
Players who have been anticipating Bloodlines 2 took to social media to react to the layoffs. Many doubted Paradox’s claim that The Chinese Room losing staff this close to launch wouldn’t have an impact on the game’s release. Others shared their theory that Bloodlines 2 wasn’t good or was currently in a poor state.
One frustrated fan wrote, “Losing hope every day for this one.” Another user replied, “This just can’t be a good game. There’s no way.” Many users were also critical of the layoffs themselves. The Chinese Room had only just released the Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest DLC on June 18. With the psychological horror title being one of the most critically acclaimed games of 2024, it made the layoffs all the more shocking to players.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has also had a troubling development history. It was originally being made by Hardsuit Labs before being passed off to The Chinese Room. Since its new development started in 2021, the sequel has also been hit with many delays. So it makes sense why layoffs just months before its October launch have many fans feeling skeptical about Bloodlines 2. And of course, it’s always awful when any dev loses their job. But it’s especially bad when it happens after they’ve put in so much work to get games across the finish line.
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