Hardsuit's Canned Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Refuses to Fade Away, as Leaked Gameplay Videos Show What Might Have Been

Why It Matters

The footage reveals an alternate creative direction for a high‑profile RPG, showing how mid‑project studio swaps can reshape fan expectations and the commercial outlook of licensed IPs.

Key Takeaways

• Leaked Hardsuit Labs footage resurfaces after 2021 development shift
• Videos reveal unreleased locations, characters, hospital level
• Paradox removed Hardsuit, appointed The Chinese Room for final release
• Fans compare leaked version to Chinese Room’s published game
• Senior writer Cara Ellison left during development transition

Pulse Analysis

The development saga of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 illustrates how volatile licensed game projects can become when publishers intervene. In early 2020, Paradox Interactive tapped Hardsuit Labs, led by veteran Brian Mitsoda, to revive the cult classic. By mid‑2021, internal disagreements and budget concerns prompted Paradox to pull the plug, fire Mitsoda and reassign the title to The Chinese Room. This abrupt handover forced the original team to abandon a near‑complete build, leaving a trove of unfinished assets that would later surface as leaked gameplay.

The newly released YouTube clips, curated by modder‑turned‑content creator wesp5, expose a hospital level, distinct character models, and atmospheric cityscapes that never made it into the final product. Compared to The Chinese Room’s version—praised for its narrative twists but criticized for technical roughness—the Hardsuit iteration appears more grounded in classic World of Darkness aesthetics, with tighter combat loops and a darker visual palette. Community forums have erupted with side‑by‑side comparisons, reigniting debate over which creative vision better serves the franchise’s lore and player expectations.

Beyond fan curiosity, the leak underscores broader industry lessons about project continuity and IP stewardship. When a publisher reallocates development mid‑cycle, valuable work can be lost, yet it may also reemerge as community‑driven content that fuels brand longevity. For studios, the episode serves as a cautionary tale on the risks of abrupt studio swaps, while for publishers it highlights the importance of transparent communication to maintain trust among a passionate fanbase. As the franchise looks ahead to potential future installments, the Hardsuit footage will likely influence design discussions and set a benchmark for what could have been.

Hardsuit's canned Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 refuses to fade away, as leaked gameplay videos show what might have been

Image 1: A vampire lady in a Vampire: The Masquerade · Bloodlines 2 screenshot

Image credit: Paradox Interactive

“Get me somebody who’s played The Chinese Room's Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 STAT,” I yelled, barging through the double doors of our seedy news saloon. “I need 300 or more tasty words on these leaked videos of the older, unreleased Hardsuit Labs version.” A grim silence fell across the chamber. Mark furtively donned a pod‑racing helmet, James hid himself behind his latest tower of graphics cards, with an apologetic murmur that while he had played a few hours of Bloodlines 2, he was very busy right now building towers of graphics cards.

“If you want something done, do it yourself, STAT,” I bellowed, swivelling on my heel while looking up the origins of the term “stat” on my phone. It turns out it’s something medical doctors say to convey urgency, and comes from the Latin statim, meaning “immediately”. “What a perfect way to introduce this video showing a hospital level from the aforesaid leaked Hardsuit Labs version of Bloodlines 2,” I roared to myself. “Why, I’ve accidentally written 177 words of the news post already.”

Watch on YouTube

The freshly disclosed Hardsuit Labs Bloodlines 2 footage comes courtesy of YouTuber wesp5, author of an unofficial patch for the beloved first Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (also known as Jank‑pires: The Masqu‑error‑rade: Buglines). It’s the most we’ve seen of the Hardsuit Labs draft of the sequel since publishers Paradox took Hardsuit off Bloodlines 2 in 2021, kicking original Bloodlines head designer Brian Mitsoda to the curb and transferring development to The Chinese Room.

Released last year, the Chinese Room’s take on Bloodlines 2 has its charms – RPS reviewer Dominic Tarason called it “an entertaining but flawed vampire brawler wrapped in a compelling mystery story” – but many World of Darkness enthusiasts pine nonetheless for what might have been. Now’s your chance to explore some direct comparisons, with the heavy caveat that this is footage of a work‑in‑progress game.

wesp5 has posted a few more videos of Hardsuit‑era Bloodlines 2, including this one of some locations and this one of some people. Let me know what you think of them all. Belated disclosure that Cara Ellison, formerly of this parish, was Bloodlines 2’s senior writer before the change of development team.