Tag: Paradox Interactive
News Bloodlines 2 Publisher Accepts the Blame Over $37 Million Failure
"Responsibility lies fully with us as the publisher"
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 publisher Paradox Interactive has announced it is writing down $37 million in development costs after sales of the vampire title failed to meet expectations. It's also taking ownership over the overall release's failure, including the lukewarm critical...
News 'Not Enough Time, Not Enough Money': The Dismal Vampire Bloodlines 2 Was Doomed from the Start
Ex-dev spills some blood
Much has already been written about Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 and its desperately troubled development, but it's still interesting to hear about the project from someone who was actually there, on the inside. In a rather revealing interview with Cat Burton on YouTube, Dan Pinchbeck, the game's creative...
You're Phyred
Over its first couple of hours, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 does its best to convince you that it might actually be pretty good. Against all odds, this deeply troubled project could rise above expectations. But as the game's structure becomes more and more apparent, the real Bloodlines 2 shapes up to be a bit of a disaster...
News Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Adds DLC Clans to Base Game Following Backlash
Bloody good show
Following a widespread backlash against Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 and its paywalled clans, publisher Paradox Interactive and developer The Chinese Room have officially ditched their DLC plans. Two clans — which basically act as your character's class — were set to be locked behind a paid DLC pack, or the game's...
News PS5 Pre-Orders for Bloodlines 2's Premium Edition to Be Refunded as Paradox Promises Changes
Out for blood
If you already pre-ordered the Premium Edition of anticipated RPG sequel Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, you’ll be refunded this week. That’s because publisher Paradox has promised “adjustments”, after the pricier Premium Edition attracted criticism for including two character classes as DLC. Fans of the game were
Rumour Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Publisher Plans to Back Down from Crap DLC Decision
The smell of blood
A backlash against day one DLC for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 may have convinced publisher Paradox to reconsider its plans. As it stands, the upcoming action RPG will launch with an additional $22 DLC pack that contains two character classes — the kind of thing that most would argue should be part of the base...
News Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Locks Character Classes Behind $22 DLC Pack
Fangs for nothing
As if there wasn't enough scepticism surrounding Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, it's been revealed that the troubled project will push players to spend extra on a DLC pack that includes two additional clans — which are basically your character classes. Eurogamer reports that said DLC pack, titled 'Shadows and Silk',...
News Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Commits to October 2025 Launch on PS5
Finally?
After many years and many delays, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 will attempt to release on the PS5 on 21st October 2025. You can catch the new trailer above. The trailer mentions to pre-order now, but as of right now, there are no listings on the PS Store. Fight your way through a modern-day Seattle on the brink of an open war...
News Of Course Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Has Been Delayed Again
Now coming to PS5 in October 2025
The upcoming PS5 RPG Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 has been hit with yet another delay, this time pushing the game back from the first half of this year to October 2025. This is the closest the title has ever come to a day and date release date after multiple years of delays, suggesting The Chinese Room has...
News Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Bites an ESRB Rating
Signs of life from the MIA vampire RPG
We've been waiting for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, well, since the first released back in 2004. But in a real sense, the revival of the hugely influential vampire RPG was announced in 2019, and it sounds like the game has been stuck in various kinds of development hell for years. Still, it was just...
News Cities: Skylines 2 PS5 Still Under Construction, Structural Issues Still Need Fixing
Expected back in October 2023
Cities: Skylines II developer Colossal Order has provided an update on the game's PS5 version, which remains under construction more than a year and a half after its scheduled due date of October 2023. Apparrently Colossal Order still has "more things we need to address", and the game won't be arriving before Summer...
News Paradox Interactive Adds Jagged Alliance 3 Dev to Its Strategic Arsenal
A.I.M. is back online
Probably the largest publisher of admittedly niche strategy games in the industry, Paradox Interactive has acquired all shares in Bulgarian developer Haemimont Games, perhaps best known as the developer of Tropico 5 and, more recently, the revival of the mercenary tactical series with Jagged Alliance 3. In a press release,...
News Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 PS5 Offers Tasty Gameplay Morsel
"Blue-bloods in the castles, peasants in the gutter. Same old story"
Out of the shadows, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 has emerged with a rare look at gameplay in a new trailer. A sequel that some ageing RPG fans have been waiting two decades for, Bloodlines 2 was supposed to be out several times over by now and is currently targeting a...
News Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Seemingly Afflicted By World of Darkness Curse
Paradox officially sick of the RPG game
In strict accordance with the traditions of The Masquerade, the ancient mandate that decrees all vampire kindred must live in a way that does not reveal their existence to humans, we haven't heard much about Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 lately. The sequel to one of the most groundbreaking CRPGs ever...
News Cities: Skylines 2 PS5 Delayed Further to Meet Stability, Performance Aims
There are "unresolved issues" remaining
Paradox Interactive has made the decision to push the console versions of Cities: Skylines 2 even further back — likely into 2025 — in order to meet the stability and performance targets it has set for itself. Detailed in a post on the studio's forums, it's revealed the devel
News Paradox Cancels Sim Life by You After Repeated Early Access Delays
"A clear failure on Paradox’s part"
Life by You, a life sim from veterans of The Sims series, has been unceremoniously canceled by publisher Paradox Interactive. With its Early Access launch already delayed several times, the publisher pulled the plug on 20th May, delaying the game indefinitely ahead of a 4th June release. Now, it is opting not to...
News Prison Architect 2 Back in the Slammer, Delayed to May 2024
In chains
You may recall Paradox Interactive announced Prison Architect 2 back in January. It's a sequel to the fan favourite management sim in which you grow and maintain a prison, taking care of your inmates and expanding your facilities. The fully 3D follow-up was scheduled to launch in March, but has now been pushed back to 7th May, 2024...
News Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 Gameplay Revealed, Out on PS5 in the 'Coming Months'
First gameplay in a while
The Chinese Room has today resurfaced with new gameplay for upcoming RPG Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. Long in development, this is the first opportunity to see it in action in quite some time, with two videos published. A deep dive into the game's mechanics and setting is provided by members of the development...
News Prison Architect 2 Announced, Sequel Goes Fully 3D on PS5 in March
Breaking free from two dimensions
Publisher Paradox Interactive and developer Double Eleven have just announced Prison Architect 2, the sequel to the popular management/building simulation game. Unlike the original Prison Architect, this new title will be launching on consoles day and date with the PC version, and it's heading to PS5 on 26th March,...
News Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 Reveals Its Protagonist
The name's Phyre
New Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 developer The Chinese Room has today shared a fresh look at the RPG's protagonist: Phyre. This is a fully customisable main character, with you allowed to select their gender and the clan they belong to, as well as outfits and who they feed on. There'll be four clans in the game, and who...
News Suck the Blood of the Living in Vampire: The Masquerade - Justice on PSVR2
One to really sink your teeth into
Vampire: The Masquerade - Justice is an imminent adventure RPG that takes place in the fabled World of Darkness setting, and it's coming to PSVR2 on 2nd November. We hadn't considered how perfect VR is for a Vampire: The Masquerade adaptation, a series known for the richness of its setting, atmosphere, and...
News Cities: Skylines 2 Delayed on Consoles to Optimise Quality and Performance
We built this city
Prospective city planners, we have a bit of bad news for you. Paradox Interactive has announced a delay to its upcoming city sim sequel, Cities: Skylines 2. The console versions, which of course includes PS5, have been pushed back to Spring 2024. The PC version is still on schedule for 24th October, 2023. Sharing the update on...
News Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 Has a New Developer, Out in 2024
The Chinese Room now making the RPG
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture team The Chinese Room has been confirmed as the new studio behind the troubled Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, with an updated release window set for late 2024. It's unclear how much of the work original developer Hardsuit Labs put into the project will carry over into the...
News Cities: Skylines 2 Lays Foundations on PS5 from 24th October
Build 'em up
Well, one game that’s definitely not embargoed from the Xbox Showcase is Cities: Skylines 2, because even PlayStation has uploaded this pre-order trailer. The title’s due out on 24th October, and promises next-gen city building fun. You can get a glimpse of gameplay courtesy of the trailer embedded above; obviously these kind of...
News Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Publisher Is Refunding All Physical PS5, PS4 Pre-Orders
An eternity of waiting
The publisher behind Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, coming to PS5 and PS4, will be automatically refunding all physical preorders, with refunds for digital preorders available on request. This comes as Paradox Interactive posted a development update for the game on its website. While refunding preorders is usually a...
News Crusader Kings 3: Royal Court Expansion Graces Consoles on 17th May
A regal addition
Crusader Kings 3: Console Edition was released on PS5 last year, and while we thought it was great, we only got to experience the base game. Thankfully, the excellent Royal Court expansion has been announced to be making the jump to consoles, which is a regal pronouncement we couldn't be more pleased to make. As anyone who has...
News The Sims Veteran's Life by You Is a Living, Breathing Sandbox
But only Early Access on PC for now
Update: It doesn’t really get much more ambitious than Life by You, so it’s perhaps no surprise it’s launching into Early Access on PC before even considering consoles. The game, teased earlier in the year and now officially unveiled, sees you effectively taking control of an entire open world city, where...
News Cities Skylines 2 Promises Bigger and Better City Building on PS5 in 2023
Sky's the limit
A full-blown sequel to Cities Skylines, the appropriately named Cities Skylines II has been announced for PS5. It only has a vague '2023' release window right now, but the official press release describes it as "the most realistic city simulation ever created". Quite the promise! The original Cities Skylines was very well received,...
News Cities: Skylines Remastered Builds Bigger Maps with Better Graphics on PS5 Next Week
PS4 owners get a free upgrade
City building sim Cities: Skylines is getting a PS5 version next week, on the 15th February. This is an enhanced remaster of the 2017 PS4 title, boasting a number of improvements — and it's a free upgrade if you already own Cities: Skylines on the last-gen console. The same goes for the game's numerous DLC packs; if...
News Stellaris: First Contact Story Pack Will Expand the Scope of Your Galaxy
We come in peace
Stellaris is a game which has received a bunch of support over the years, and it seems like the team over at Paradox isn't done with the sci-fi grand strategy title just yet. Originally launching on PC back in 2016, it jumped to console in 2019 in the form of Stellaris: Console Edition. The First Contact Story Pack is the next...
News Cities: Skylines Plazas & Promenades Expansion Is All About the Pedestrian
These boots were made for walking
Cities: Skylines is a city management simulator originally released in 2015, but it's still being supported, as evidenced by the just-announced Plazas & Promenades expansion. We don't have a firm release date, but it is coming soon to PS4. Ditch the daily gridlock and take to the streets... on foot! Pedestrian...
News Hack the Planet in Shadowrun Trilogy: Console Edition, Available Now on PS5, PS4
Here be dragons
The Shadowrun Trilogy: Console Edition is available now, on both PS5 and PS4, and to celebrate, we got a launch trailer dripping in retro cyberpunk aesthetic. If great writing and player choice are things you look for in a game and don't mind dated visuals or a clunky interface, you should definitely check it out (be sure to check...
Review Shadowrun Trilogy (PS5) - Great Value RPG Collection Is Rough and Ready
Let's run it
There's an awful lot to like about Shadowrun Trilogy — a chunky collection of three sci-fi-fantasy role-playing games available on PlayStation platforms for the first time. At its launch price of $39.99 / £34.99, you're getting good bang for your buck here, even if you'll have to endure some especially rough edges throughout all...
News Shadowrun Trilogy Brings Classic Cyberpunk Role-Playing to PS5, PS4 in June
Out of the shadows
The rumours were true: Shadowrun Trilogy will be making key dialogue decisions this summer, on the 21st June for both PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. The collection includes three remastered titles: Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun Dragonfall - Director's Cut, and Shadowrun Hong Kong - Extended Edition. All three games are highly...
News Classic RPG Collection Shadowrun Trilogy Spotted on PlayStation Servers
From the shadows
Assets for Shadowrun Trilogy have been discovered on PlayStation Network servers, as leaked through Reddit. The collection, which includes Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun Dragonfall - Director's Cut, and Shadowrun Hong Kong - Extended Edition, was officially announced for Nintendo Switch last year (due to arrive in 2022), but it's...
Mini Review Crusader Kings III: Console Edition (PS5) - Strategic Royalty Rewards Patient Players
King me
Crusader Kings III is the kind of game that you could quite easily lose days, weeks, or even months to once you've wrapped your head around its many, many systems. It's a ridiculously in-depth strategy title — the kind that you rarely see on consoles — but port studio Lab42 has done a solid job of making the whole thing manageable on...
News Highly Rated Strategy Sim Crusader Kings 3 Campaigns to PS5 in March
For king and country
Crusader Kings III is a very highly rated medieval strategy / empire-building sim that's been available on PC since last year — and it's coming to PlayStation 5 on the 29th March. Basically, you get to rule over a kingdom as a monarch of your making as you forge alliances with or outright conquer neighbouring countries. A...
News Cities: Skylines Airports DLC Pack Touches Down on PS4 in January
Please remain seated
Cities: Skylines has been around a good while now, hasn't it? The city-building sim arrived on PlayStation 4 in 2017, and it's been steadily added to ever since with free and premium updates. The latest of these is just around the corner; Airports makes a safe landing on 25th January 2022. So, what's this expansion all about?...
News Mobster XCOM Empire of Sin Makes It Count with Massive Content Drop
Available on PS4 now
A colossal content drop for prohibition-era strategy game Empire of Sin is available on the PlayStation 4 now, largely transforming the game. The free Precincts update rebalances and retunes many aspects of the alarmingly in-depth XCOM-esque outing, making some of the release’s mechanics more meaningful. Precincts effectively...
News Unknown Dev Making Good Progress on Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
"Quite some time" before release date revealed
Development of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is said to be going well according to Paradox Interactive, but who it is actually doing the work we still don't know. Hardware Labs was taken off the project at the beginning of this year and replaced by another team. The game's troubled production...
News Crusader Kings III: Console Edition Wages War Against PS5
Designed for console controllers from the ground up
The leak has certainly taken the sting out of this announcement, but Crusader Kings III: Console Edition has been confirmed for the PlayStation 5. The uber-hardcore strategy game first launched on PC in 2020, but is being carefully converted to Sony’s next-gen console, with “all-new gamepad...
News Make It Count with Empire of Sin's First Paid Expansion
The accountant will see you now
After a mixed reception at launch, Empire of Sin developer Romero Games is aiming to rejuvenate the prohibition-era strategy title with a new expansion pack: Make It Count. This paid add-on will allow you to take control of Meyer Lansky, the “Mob’s Accountant” who excels at economics and smooth talking. The DLC...
Oh dear
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is not having the best time of it. Announced in March of 2019, the sequel to the beloved RPG has seen delay after delay, and now it seems the game is in a more precarious position than ever. The last we heard was that the title would be unlikely to release in the first half of this year; now, it's not...
Review Empire of Sin (PS4) - Gangster Strategy Game Is a Broken Mess
The Sopran-oh-noes
What do you know about multiverse theory? We Wikipedia'd it before writing this review and we played BioShock Infinite a few years ago so we're practically scientists now. From what we've learned there's a good chance that there's alternate universes out there much like ours only different choices made along the way have altered...
News Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Unlikely to Release in First Half of 2021
The waiting game
What on earth happened to Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2? Originally scheduled to launch at the beginning of this year, developer Hardsuit Labs has pushed back its release time and time again, which in combination with high-profile departures over the past few months, has fans worried. Now Paradox Interactive CEO Ebba...
News Manage a 1920s Criminal Corporation in Empire of Sin This December
Multiple editions detailed
After being delayed out of an initial spring launch window at the start of this year, Paradox Interactive has confirmed that its noir take on the 1920s illegal underworld named Empire of Sin will come to PlayStation 4 on 1st December 2020. There isn't a next-gen PlayStation 5 version confirmed at the time of writing, but...
News Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Has Been Delayed to 2021
Pretendstobeshocked.gif
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is no longer scheduled to launch in 2020. Harduit Labs has delayed the vampiric RPG to 2021, with both a PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 version in the works. The team states it needs more time so that it can meet the bar of quality and ambitions it...
News Cities: Skylines Goes Green for Free on PS4
Save the planet
If you’re currently enjoying Cities: Skylines on PlayStation 4 as part of its recent PlayStation Plus giveaway, you may be excited to learn that Paradox Interactive is giving away a free add-on pack as well. Green Cities, the eco-friendly expansion, currently costs nothing on the PlayStation Store, and is yours to claim through...
News Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Has a PS5 Version in the Works
Thirsty for more
It certainly looks like today is the day for developers to confirm that they're working on PlayStation 5 versions of games. Joining Scarlet Nexus is Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, which confirmed it would release a next-gen version as part of Inside Xbox's third-party gameplay reveal event yesterday. It was announced for...
News Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Is Out for Blood in Latest Trailer
PS5 version uncertain
It's been quite some time since we last saw Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 after it was delayed out of a Q1 2020 launch window late last year. The RPG marked its return at Microsoft's Inside Xbox third-party showcase, however, with a new trailer that debuts a fresh look at the game. Check it out for yourself above. It...
