Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Studio Hit With Layoffs After Removal From The Project

Developer Hardsuit Labs has been hit with a round of layoffs after the recent news that Paradox Interactive removed the studio as the lead developer of the long-delayed Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines 2.

Numerous developers at the Seattle-based Hardsuit Labs reported they were impacted by the job losses. Narrative designer Anna C. Webster said she was let go "alongside the rest of the narrative department (and many others)." Other developers from Hardsuit, including at least one producer, were let go as part of the shake-up.

After a delay late in 2020, Bloodlines 2 was expected to launch in 2021 as development focused on polishing. In its latest earnings release, however, Paradox recently announced that the sequel to Vampire: The Masquerade will no longer be releasing in 2021 at all, and that a new studio is now at work on the project.

As part of a statement on the change, Paradox CEO Ebba Ljungerud says the hard decision was made to ensure the game lives up to the quality standard fans are expecting.

"We have now chosen to postpone the release of the game further, and we will not be launching the game in 2021," the statement reads. "We have also decided that Hardsuit Labs will no longer be leading the development of Bloodlines 2, and we have started a collaboration with a new studio partner to finish work on the game. This has been a difficult decision, but we are convinced that it is the right way forward to do the game justice."

Paradox has not announced which developer will take over for Hardsuit Labs, nor did the publisher provide a precise reason for why it was making the change in the first place.