The Chinese Room and Paradox Interactive’s game promises to be rich in content, with no shortage of side quests.

In an interview with WCCFTech, more details emerged about the game’s estimated length. Jey Hicks, design director, explained there are plenty of side quests: “I can’t give exact numbers, because right now we’re still trying to determine how long the game takes to complete, especially since we recently added a lot of new content. Our current estimates are that fast players, who don’t bother with extras, can finish in about 20–25 hours, while completionists could spend up to 40 hours with it,” said Hicks.

The interview also revealed that Fabien, the Malkavian vampire trapped in Phyre’s head, wasn’t really playable until a few years ago. (It’s worth noting the game went through a development reboot, as Hardsuit Labs originally worked on the project.) According to Hicks and narrative director Ian Thomas, this decision made the long-awaited sequel to Bloodlines much stronger. Hicks stressed that delaying the release was worthwhile so players could truly connect with the characters, rather than Fabien being just another voice in their heads.

“Later we made a significant change—we wanted to tell more stories and bring in the Malkavian clan. Suddenly we thought, what if a Malkavian was the character inside Phyre’s head? Everything clicked. The old vampire, who had lost much of his humanity, paired with Fabien, fascinated by people and how the world works, became a great combination. Plus, we had a fantastic voice actor. Fabien suddenly came alive, and we decided this was the right direction. It was a late and bold change, in my opinion, but Paradox said: yes, you’re right, let’s take the time and do it. We’re very satisfied with it,” Thomas said.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 launches October 21 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC.

Source: WCCFTech