author: Michael Kulakowski
Layoffs at Former Devs of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
American devteam Hardsuit Labs, which last week was removed from work on Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, began to lay off its employees. So far, only people working on the game's script have been affected.
Last week, news broke that Paradox Interactive had pulled American studio Hardsuit Labs from the development of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. The team had been working on the game for several years, but the results of their efforts were, to put it mildly, unsatisfactory to the publisher. The first visible black clouds over the project gathered last year when the main writers of the game were fired. They were replaced after an extended search by Samantha Wallschlaeger and Jordan Mychal Lemos. The devs previously worked for Monolith Productions, ArenaNet, BioWare, Ubisoft, and Sucker Punch.
However, the two writers have just found out that they too have lost their jobs, and a similar fate has befallen the entire team responsible for Bloodlines 2's narrative layer. Each of the dismissed employees announced the fact on Twitter. Wallschlaeger confirmed in her post that the reductions avoided other departments of the studio. So it's possible that the remaining members of the team will not have to face the unpleasant prospect of finding a new job.
It's worth noting that Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 was the first major project for the studio, which previously only worked on the development of the console ports of Chivalry: Medieval Warfare and Blacklight Retribution. So it's highly likely that in order to stay afloat, the devs will go back to what they know best, for which, of course, they don't need a team of experienced writers.
The future of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 remains uncertain. The game is to be completed by a new studio chosen by Paradox. It became clear, however, that because of this the game will not be seen in this year or even the next.
