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Subscribe from just £3 Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£9.99Subscribe now Gamescom 2025 schedule Battlefield 6 Horror Special New Games for 2025 Recommended reading Under the shadow of the $80 game controversy, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is technically only $60, it’ll cost you $90 for a Premium Edition with two more playable classes Action RPGs New Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 dev won't say exactly what happened in the 10 years since Helldivers 2 boss bought it at Paradox, just that "we basically started again": "The two games are not alike" Helldivers 2 boss signed the long-awaited Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 at a different company - 10 years later, he's still hoping it "sticks the landing" Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 devs aren't "making GTA," so fans of the original action RPG shouldn't expect a "big, open world, sprawling game where the horizon is your limit" Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2: Everything we know so far Fool me 6 times, shame on me, but I think this leaked Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 release date might actually stick After 21 years and various delays, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 finally gets a solid release date during Gamescom Opening Night Live Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has "been through a lot," Paradox says as fans revolt against day one DLC, which is "a way to get additional players in that have been asking for that content" Dustin Bailey 20 August 2025 "It's not uncommon for games to come out with additional content" When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Paradox) After years in development hell, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is finally set to launch on October 21. While that announcement at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025 should've been cause for relief among fans, the simultaneous reveal of pricey add-ons for day one DLC with new playable clans has been cause for substantial backlash. "It's not uncommon for games to come out with additional content," a PR rep for publisher Paradox tells PCGamesN in response to the controversy, "and given the nature of the game as it stands, where it's been through a lot, this is a way to get additional players in that have been asking for that content, and asking for those clans, on day one." A quick glance at the Bloodlines subreddit, which is currently filled with posts like "I'm just not paying 34€ extra for a 60€ game that shows no respect for the long-time fans" and "Is Paradox smoking crack?" will show you the general tone of the community's response to the DLC reveal. I doubt the assertion that "a day one upsell is simply giving players what they want" is going to be accepted. You may like Under the shadow of the $80 game controversy, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is technically only $60, it’ll cost you $90 for a Premium Edition with two more playable classes New Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 dev won't say exactly what happened in the 10 years since Helldivers 2 boss bought it at Paradox, just that "we basically started again": "The two games are not alike" Helldivers 2 boss signed the long-awaited Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 at a different company - 10 years later, he's still hoping it "sticks the landing" Paradox has a reputation for extensive DLC releases across games like Crusader Kings and Cities: Skylines, but while its aggressive expansions have been criticized, there's also a key difference here: Those are sandbox games you'll likely come back to over and over again, which constantly benefit from new gameplay options no matter how deep in you've gotten. The day one DLC for Bloodlines 2 includes a pair of new clans, which are effectively classes. The pressure to pay more for those options feels a lot more difficult to ignore when you're going to be making decisions about your playstyle at the very start of the game – especially since this is an RPG many players are likely to play through just once or twice. Hardcore fans may want to keep coming back to see how every clan plays, sure, but locking those options behind a paywall seems to be a sure way to push them away. For more on the biggest new games of 2025, stick with us as the Gamescom 2025 schedule rolls on, and follow our Gamescom 2025 day 1 live coverage for the quickest updates. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. See more PS5 News Xbox Series X PlayStation Dustin Bailey Social Links Navigation Staff Writer Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Under the shadow of the $80 game controversy, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is technically only $60, it’ll cost you $90 for a Premium Edition with two more playable classes New Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 dev won't say exactly what happened in the 10 years since Helldivers 2 boss bought it at Paradox, just that "we basically started again": "The two games are not alike" Helldivers 2 boss signed the long-awaited Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 at a different company - 10 years later, he's still hoping it "sticks the landing" Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 devs aren't "making GTA," so fans of the original action RPG shouldn't expect a "big, open world, sprawling game where the horizon is your limit" Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2: Everything we know so far Fool me 6 times, shame on me, but I think this leaked Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 release date might actually stick Latest in RPGs I still haven't forgiven Square Enix for this name, but the legitimately good strategy RPG Triangle Strategy just got a surprise launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X with a 30% discount The Blood of Dawnwalker lead say the medieval vampire RPG is a "narrative sandbox" with quests that "can be completed in any order, skipped entirely, or even never discovered at all" Some of Disco Elysium's best ideas are still around in Zero Parades, but the CRPG thriller has an almost impossible task ahead of it Under the shadow of the $80 game controversy, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is technically only $60, it’ll cost you $90 for a Premium Edition with two more playable classes With "over one million" customization combos, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's second story DLC will turn the RPG into a city builder that looks like the Sims Medieval remake I'll never get The Outer Worlds 2 shows off its roster of companions and ruins the day of many a RPG fan by immediately saying "no, you can't sleep with them" Latest in News DC fans have a theory about how Lex Luthor will escape prison after the events of Superman and well, they've convinced me Donkey Kong Bananza's baffling default button settings were suggested by Shigeru Miyamoto himself If you're wondering how Call of Duty's Black Ops 7 trailer is going down, the top comment on YouTube by some way is "this actually made me pre-order Battlefield 6" Following a drop in players, Sims 4 competitor inZOI snags "Very Positive" Steam reviews for its free Stardew Valley-esque expansion featuring island farming and more: "A step in the right direction!" 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