Brian Mitsoda, the lead narrative director behind Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, and Ka'ai Cluney, the creative director, are no longer part of the Bloodlines 2 team.

In a statement released on the official Bloodlines 2 website, Paradox Interactive said this decision was made jointly by Hardsuit Labs and Paradox and that they appreciate the input and contributions of Mitsoda and Cluney, which they consider instrumental to the dark tone of the video game.

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Mitsoda had been one of the writers of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, the cult-status predecessor to Bloodlines 2, and he was prominently featured in conventions, announcements, interviews and marketing material. In a statement sent to Rock Paper Shotgun, Mitsoda said that the decision to fire him from the project on July 26 came as a huge surprise. "I’ve worked on Bloodlines 2 for almost five years," he explained. "The story and main cast was initially conceived in my living room. I helped develop the pitch for Hardsuit Labs and helped pitch the project to Paradox in Las Vegas. I’ve been in charge of the narrative since the beginning, working long days and sometimes weekends to deliver a successor to Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, and I’ve never been led to believe that I hadn’t succeeded."

This announcement comes on the heels of a second push to Bloodlines 2's release date. Originally slated for Q3 2019, it was pushed to 2020 and then to some time in 2021. "I was not part of the conversations that led to the decision to delay production, and to my knowledge, there were no delays caused by the Bloodlines 2 narrative development," he added. "I am confident and proud of the work that I and my team put forward. When that work will be seen and what form it will take is unknown to me."

Ka'ai Cluney''s role as creative director will be taken over by Alexandre Mandryka, joining the Bloodlines 2 team as a creative consultant. Mandryka has previously worked on AAA titles like Assassin's Creed and Far Cry.

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Sired in an act of vampire terrorism, your existence ignites the war for Seattle's blood trade. Enter uneasy alliances with the creatures who control the city and uncover the sprawling conspiracy which plunged Seattle into a bloody civil war between powerful vampire factions.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 arrives on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X in 2021.