Ex Bloodlines 2 Creative Director Says He Wanted a Different Title to Avoid Misleading Expectations

Nearly a month after the launch of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, former Creative Director and The Chinese Room Studio Head Dan Pinchbeck has shared candid insights into the troubled development of the long delayed sequel. In an interview with YouTuber Cat Burton, Pinchbeck revealed that he strongly opposed naming the project Bloodlines 2, arguing that the game’s scope and resources could never deliver the true successor fans expected.

The Chinese Room joined the project only after publisher Paradox Interactive ended its collaboration with original developer Hardsuit Labs. By the time TCR took the reins, both time and budget constraints were severe. Faced with these limitations, Pinchbeck redefined the entire structure of the game, shifting it away from an expansive RPG and toward a more focused, Dishonored style immersive experience.

“We used to sit there and have planning sessions about how to get them to not call it Bloodlines 2,” Pinchbeck admitted. “You can’t make Bloodlines 2. There’s not enough time. There’s not enough money.”

He elaborated that the original Bloodlines, despite its cult reputation, launched in an era when studios could release ambitious but deeply flawed titles. In today’s industry, consumers expect polish, stability, and scale that require much larger teams and budgets. Trying to recreate the magic of the first game risked disappointing both long time fans and newcomers.

Pinchbeck’s approach was to ask a different question: What can we realistically build?
“We can’t make Bloodlines 2, we can’t make Skyrim, but we can make Dishonored,” he said, framing TCR’s vision as a compact, narrative driven experience faithful to the World of Darkness mythos. The long term hope was to release a solid standalone entry that could eventually justify a more ambitious, big budget sequel.

Unfortunately, early sales do not indicate strong commercial momentum. Based on SteamDB estimates, Bloodlines 2 likely sold between 120,000 and 300,000 units on Steam so far, a modest figure for a long awaited franchise revival. Without substantial revenue, the prospect of funding a larger sequel becomes increasingly unlikely.

Pinchbeck’s transparency casts new light on the title’s creative direction. While the team aimed to preserve the atmosphere and thematic depth of the franchise, the decision to market the game as a direct sequel may have created expectations no small team could satisfy.

Do you think Bloodlines 2 should have launched under a different name? Would expectations have been more fair? Share your views below.