The new vampire RPG Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has revealed its editions alongside its release date on Steam at gamescom and has received backlash from the community.
What kind of game is this? Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is an upcoming ARPG that is intended to serve as the sequel to the classic “Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines” from 2004. The game is based on the related pen-and-paper role-playing game and takes place in the “World of Darkness” universe.
The RPG is set in present-day Seattle, where a battle between supernatural beings rages. As a player, you take on the role of a vampire, whose abilities depend on the chosen clan. Thus, the choice affects important abilities in the game. However, it is exactly at the clan selection that the monetization now causes trouble.
Here you can watch the trailer for the game:
The Paywall for Clans
Why is there trouble? Players have looked at the editions of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 on Steam. They found out that the clans “Toreador” and “Lasombra” are only available with the purchase of DLCs or a better edition.
Players who buy the standard edition will not have access to all clans of the game at release. While the standard edition costs €59.99 on Steam, the premium edition, which includes all clans, costs €89.99. However, the individual prices for the clans are not yet established on Steam.
This DLC policy might be the fault of publisher Paradox Interactive. The studio, known for strategy games like Stellaris or Hearts of Iron IV, is also notorious for its countless DLCs and expansions that can easily cost several hundred euros when added together. For an RPG, this monetization is so unusual that fans are getting upset even before release.
What do players say about the DLC policy? Players have been looking forward to Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 for years and are now quite disappointed by this step. The fact that even game content like the clans is locked behind DLC that will be available on day one is causing a lot of frustration on Reddit:
- Agreeable-Agent-7384: “This game is already viewed with so much skepticism due to its super chaotic development cycle, and they still think they have the luxury to pull off such stunts. The foot has already been hit, this just ensures the wound gets infected.”
- themoviehero: “Eww. That’s exactly why it’s a game I’ll only pick up with a big discount. After all, I’ve waited so long.”
- No_Diver3540: “Just don’t buy or pre-order games like this. If you don’t, they’ll stop doing these things.”
- Rorp24: “Well, 8 years of waiting and the hype have been for nothing… seriously, if it were some unusual clan like Tzimisce or Salubri, sure, why not. I’m not buying it because I’m not stupid. But Toreador? That smells to me like a quick cash grab and a bad game.”
That after a long development time the sequel of a fan-favorite comes with a strong monetization system does not please the players. Those who would prefer to see something else at gamescom can find the most important trailers from the Opening Night Live here: The highlights from gamescom 2025: The most important trailers and announcements from the Opening Night Live
