Paradox Interactive announced that The Chinese Room, a Sumo Digital studio, is developing the highly-anticipated Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 during today’s PAX West keynote. We got the chance to talk with Arone Le Bray and Keiko Kasai, the Principal Narrative Designer and Character Artist, respectively, on Bloodlines 2 from The Chinese Room at PAX West.
Known for their horror, the team will be bringing their award-winning storytelling to Bloodlines 2, creating a high-quality Vampire: The Masquerade action RPG by talented developers with triple-A experience. When asked about joining the legacy of World of Darkness’s franchise, Le Bray had a literal few words to say, “It’s daunting, exciting, terrifying, and I’m honored.” To which Kasai added, “I’m beyond excited working with [The Chinese Room] and the World of Darkness.”
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Bloodlines 2 is the successor to the cult-classic Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodline and will take players to the dark underbelly of Seattle, where vampires struggle for survival and supremacy. As an Elder vampire, players meet compelling characters, maneuver complex political relationships, stalk the city streets for prey, and engage in intense combat while balancing the need for blood. Throughout the game, players must always be mindful of
their surroundings or risk breaking the Masquerade – the absolute law of secrecy that keeps
vampire society is hidden from humanity.
Those who have already invested time into the franchise will know how important the small moments of Vampire: The Masquerade are within the larger context of the narrative, whether it’s in the tabletop or in video game form. And The Chinese Room is up to the task. Le Bray explained how the team uses even the smallest moments to tell a story, “We were looking at some of the concept pieces and characters in the trailers as well, and how much of them come through in even just those small glimpses. For some of the characters in the [announcement trailer] who aren’t saying anything, the way that they’re positioned, the lighting, it’s all showing who they are. And that was all in-game [footage], so there are a lot of things there.”
In bringing to life characters, Le Bray also explained the importance of diversity in Bloodlines 2, “We also have such a diverse crew working on the game as well, and we want to ensure that we don’t have any missteps. And Seattle is very diverse, and we wanted to make sure that we embrace that [in Bloodlines 2]. These are all characters who have their own wants and their own needs. And for the player we also want the player to feel like they are owning those choices and the way that they play through the journey. ”
Kasai added, “It’s all about the journey of the player. What’s also really exciting for us are the journeys of the characters in the larger story and using them to build a foundation for the larger narrative, and it all begins with concept art. Whenever you get to see the choices on how to make a character come to life.”
It’s clear that the rich world of Vampire: The Masquerade is set to be filled with dynamic characters when it launches in 2024. And a collaborative process is central to building a vast world. Kasai explained, “We’re very focused on the creation and technical pipelines in collaboration with one another. There are so many teams working together, the animators, the riggers, and the concept artists, of course, There is a lot of creative brainstorming across all of the teams. Even though we have briefs, we’re always inspired to add a little bit of extra love to each character. It’s always a fantastic feeling when they come to life.”
Le Bray also explained how his screenwriting background came into play to help ensure that the cast of characters each worked to serve the larger story of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. “I come from a screenwriting background, and one of the things I was told early on in my career was if there is something that you can remove from a character and feel nothing is lost from the larger story, then maybe just remove that part so that the whole gets stronger. If there is a tiny interaction in [the narrative], we have a reason for that interaction, and if you took it out, it wouldn’t be as strong. That’s the reason why it’s so cool to have such a collaborative environment at The Chinese Room so that we have people who, when they play through, can let us know that they didn’t understand something at the moment, then we can make things stronger by making sure it belongs.”
Kasai added, “For the stories, the environments, and as lead character artist, I have to make sure that everything is cohesive. I have to ensure that it’s all believable and that every character fits the narrative, environment, and world itself.” Le Bray, jumped in, adding, “Believability is a big one for us too. Especially for the Masquerade part of it all. I mean, these are supernatural creatures, but at the same they’re just regular folk trying to go about their daily lives, eating whoever they can to get by.”
While existing fans of the World of Darkness are to be thrilled with the news of Bloodlines 2, The Chinese Room is also able to bring in new players into the franchise, and that’s a task that Le Bray is excited to undertake. He said, “It is something that we have to think about when we go into this. It’s a storied franchise, and as an IP, it has been around for decades. That doesn’t mean that it should be closed off.”
But perhaps the most relatable part of the interview was Kasai using herself as an example of how Bloodlines 2 can become a new entry point for players who may be unfamiliar with the dark and twisted world of Vampire: The Masquerade. She said, “It’s such a big world. The lore is huge. And it’s a great thing, too, because there are a lot of underexplored narratives and storylines to explore. World of Darkness was amazing to give us the opportunity, allowing us at The Chinese Room to have the space to show our vision in [Bloodlines 2]. I joined The Chinese Room about three years ago, and I didn’t know a lot about [World of Darkness], but as I got to learn more about the stories, histories, and characters, I was captivated. And for someone new, like myself, to be captivated by these wonderful World of Darkness stories is phenomenal, and I truly believe that our game will captivate fans and bring new players into the IP as well.”
As we look at Bloodlines 2 as a new gateway into World of Darkness, we also have to look at the pairing of the studio attached. With a robust history in horror, The Chinese Room has the experience, and as Le Bray explained, the ability to twist grounded places into something terrifying. “The Chinese Room, as the developer, works very well with [the IP]. We have so much experience making really grounded places where really f*cked sh*t happens. We make games like Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture and Still Wakes the Deep, where it’s a nice quiet seaside village, and then at the same time, we leave you like ‘what the hell is happening here.’ And World of Darkness, Vampire: The Masquerade is exactly that. It’s Seattle, and all of this weird stuff is happening in this one place with dark and twisty stuff as well.”
“World of Darkness and The Chinese Room is actually a perfect marriage because we both have this strong emphasis on storylines and character, well and of course, the horror genre,” added Kasai.
When asked about any final words they wanted to include for audiences at PAX and at home after the announcement of Bloodlines 2, both Arone Le Bray and Keiko Kasai had the community on their minds. Le Bray said, “We want players to stay tuned. We really want to keep the fans engaged, and we want people to know what is coming next. So if they go and check out the Bloodlines 2 website, they can see what’s coming up next. Even just coming to PAX, we just want people to know how excited we are developers and what’s coming up.” He also added, “It’s a big weight, but we’re up to the task of carrying it, and we can’t wait to show more people.”
For her thoughts, Kasai said, “We’re excited to finally share the game with everyone. I truly believe in this community, and I hope that they will see the love and the passion that every single member of our team put into the game. I hope they see our potential to become a beloved addition to the franchise.”
Fans eager to sink their teeth into Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 can look forward to the gameplay reveal in January 2024 and its launch in Fall 2024.
