Paradox Interactive has attributed disappointing sales of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 to the game’s deviation from the company’s main area of expertise, which hindered their ability to predict its commercial success.

Frederik Wester, the company’s CEO, shared these insights while announcing a write-down of SEK 355 million (approximately £28 million) to cover development costs associated with the game, representing a significant financial loss.

Wester expressed, “Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is a strong product within the vampire fantasy genre, and we appreciate the developers’ contributions to the project. We had high hopes due to its strong IP and broad appeal.” He noted, however, that sales figures did not meet their expectations, prompting the need for the write-down. “The responsibility rests entirely with us as the publisher. Looking back, it’s clear that our unfamiliarity with this type of game made forecasting sales challenging.”

Moving forward, Paradox plans to concentrate its resources on its core segments while also assessing how to effectively develop the World of Darkness brand moving ahead.

Although no official sales figures have been released, estimates suggest that merely 121,500 copies may have sold, yielding around £3 million in revenue, which is inadequate to cover the extensive development costs that spanned several years. Initially unveiled in 2019, the game faced delays and underwent a change in development teams, ultimately leading to the release version we see today.

Wester also assured that the planned story expansions will still be delivered, which were included in deluxe versions of the game. One expansion will revolve around the vampire sheriff Benny Muldoon, while the other will tell the story of Ysabella Moore, a nightclub-owning vampire.

“Our commitment to providing updates and the promised expansions in the coming year remains unchanged,” he stated.

In related news, Dan Pinchbeck, former head of the game’s developer, suggested that the title itself may have set unrealistic expectations. He recalled discussions around avoiding the “Bloodlines 2” title, indicating that such conversations ultimately didn’t progress. This raises questions about whether the outcome might have been different had those discussions led to a name change.

This situation underscores Paradox’s ongoing concerns about the risks associated with branching out from their established focus on strategy games. Executives have previously emphasized the need for a more disciplined approach to exploring new genres, especially when it’s significantly distant from their primary business model.

Additionally, while the title may have carried specific expectations, there are also intrinsic challenges within the game’s design and execution, leading some critics to find it lacking in impact, describing it as a somewhat mediocre gaming experience overall.