Bloodlines 2 is more of a "roleplay module" than an "entire roleplay setting" like Baldur’s Gate 3, according to Bloodlines 2 Narrative Director Ian Thomas. Read on to learn more about the devs’ intended RPG experience for Bloodlines fans.
Bloodlines 2 Will Stay True to Its Roots
A "Roleplay Module" That Follows Vampire: The Masquerade Tradition
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Narrative Director Ian Thomas explained that the Bloodlines sequel will have a more contained experience compared to other RPG giants such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and Grand Theft Auto.
During an interview with PCGamesN, Ian Thomas was asked whether the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 made it more difficult to create Bloodlines 2. Thomas admitted that it had, and confessed to feeling a certain kind of pressure to "open up" the game and treat it as a "blank slate" to provide a world of freedom for players to sink their teeth into.
"But, if you’re telling a specific story," he added, "I think you need a shape to pour the story into, like a mold. If you completely open up all of the options and throw somebody into a space, how do you make that character the pillar of the story?"
A Different Experience From Baldur’s Gate
The question was posed to Thomas in order to draw a comparison between Baldur’s Gate and the first Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines game. Baldur’s Gate is a CRPG (computer RPG) series created on the bones of Dungeons & Dragons, the pioneer of the TTRPG (tabletop RPG) that emphasized player freedom and choice and collaborative storytelling. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, released in 2004, was also adapted from the 2001 Vampire: The Masquerade TTRPG by White Wolf Publishing, and emphasizes mystery and political intrigue.
The distinction between the two TTRPGs bleeds into the development of Baldur’s Gate 3 and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 as RPGs. In the interview, Thomas referred to Baldur’s Gate 3 as an "entire roleplay setting," wherein players can define the very pace and outcome of the game’s story. Bloodlines 2 is a "roleplay module" in which players have an ample amount of freedom, but must move within clear-cut guidelines as the plot unfolds around them.
"It does make it hard when people see [Bloodlines 2] and go 'oh I thought this was an entire setting, I thought this was GTA where we could do anything!' While we're trying to go 'no, it's this slice of time and place."
Where DnD campaigns can take on different settings, storylines, and histories, Vampire: The Masquerade has always had a single set universe—specifically, The World of Darkness—replete with undying factions and firmly established lore set within the dark urban fantasy genre. That remains true for Bloodlines 2, which places players in the shoes of an elder vampire named Phyre and throws them into a linear, neo-noir narrative.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is set to release on October 21, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. If you want to learn more about the upcoming game, check out the link in the article below!
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