Bloodlines 2 Drama: Why Did Mitsoda Have To Leave?

Two weeks ago, the developers of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 announced the delay of the game’s release. The new release date will (hopefully) be somewhere in the first quarter of 2021. Although fans were disappointed, the news was by no means shocking. What did shock fans, however, was the mystery of Narrative Designer Brian Mitsoda being fired.

Paradox Interactive and Hardsuit Labs jointly decided to let both the Lead Narrative Designer, Brian Mitsoda, and the Creative Director, Ka’ai Cluney, go. Mitsoda wrote to Rock, Paper, Shotgun: “that this came as a shock to me is underselling it”.

Possible Reasons for Brian Mitsoda’s Departure

But why was Mitsoda so suddenly fired in the final phase of Bloodline 2’s development?

In his statement, Mitsoda went on to explain that he has been deeply involved in the development of the game. He has been in charge of the narrative from the beginning. As a result, he participated in marketing campaigns that he did not particularly enjoy. This suggests that there might have been friction between Mitsoda and the marketing team. Whether that is true and has anything to do with the termination of his contract, is unclear though.

What is clear, is that Mitsoda did not leave the Bloodlines 2 team on good terms. He states that he was not part of negotiations surrounding the delay of the game, and that in his opinion: “there were no delays caused by the Bloodlines 2 narrative development”. It suggests that the delay of the game may have played a part in the decision to fire Mitsoda, whether he has been at fault or not.

Gamers React

Many fans of Vampire: The Masquerade have reacted with disbelief. Several people on Reddit expressed their concern for the game’s quality after the Lead Narrative Designer had been let go. Comments ranged from “My trust for this game is diminishing” to “This is gonna be a dumpster fire”.

The fans, too, find Mitsoda’s fate strange. Some suggest that Mitsoda “cost too much”, while others just call the situation weird.

An Unresolved Vampire Mystery

Unfortunately, Paradox Interactive does not give a better explanation. After wishing both Cluney and Mitsoda the best in their future endeavors, they announced that Alexandre Mandryka (Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry) will be their new ‘Creative Consultant’ and ended their statement.

Although it may never become entirely clear why Brian Mitsoda had to go, it is sad that he had to leave his beloved vampire project. Hopefully, he will get to work on another amazing project soon.

Check out more Council of the Lost gaming articles here!

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