Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2’s creative director and narrative lead have been fired

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2’s creative director and lead narrative designer have been fired.

The decision was made by “the leadership of [developer] Hardsuit Labs and [publisher] Paradox Interactive”, the companies jointly announced on Wednesday.

The news follows the recent decision to delay Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 into 2021 to “ensure the best player experience possible”.

“Lead Narrative Designer Brian Mitsoda and Creative Director Ka’ai Cluney are no longer part of the team at Hardsuit Labs,” a statement on the Bloodlines 2 website confirmed.

“We appreciate, and value, the contributions of Brian and Ka’ai, which were instrumental in establishing the game’s storyline and dark tone and have helped to ensure that we are making a true successor to the iconic Bloodlines. We wish them both the best in their future endeavors.”

Hardsuit and Paradox said industry veteran Alexandre Mandrykahas has joined the project as creative consultant, filling the role previously held by Cluney.

Mandryka was formerly studio design director at Relic Entertainment and Ubisoft, where he also served as creative director and helped reboot the Rainbow Six franchise.

“These changes to the team are focused on one thing: to bring you the best possible Vampire: The Masquerade game,” Wednesday’s statement added.

In a separate statement, Mitsoda told Rock Paper Shotgun that he had been “suddenly terminated” from his position.

“That this came as a shock to me is underselling it,” he said. “I’ve worked on Bloodlines 2 for almost five years. 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.”

Mitsoda added: “Bloodlines and the fandom of the game mean the world to me. So I lent my legacy with the franchise, my name, and my participation in marketing efforts for the game, even when it was intensely difficult and took a mental and physical toll.

“The pride in the work, the fan expectations, and the support from co-workers who started out as fans kept me going through this long five years. And I’m incredibly disappointed and frustrated to say that this is where it ends for me on the project.”