Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 was always going to be one of the most divisive games of the year because of the ways in which it’s departing from the legacy of its cult classic predecessor, and that was before it was revealed that it would be locking two of its playable clans behind a Premium Edition purchase. Because everybody loves day one DLC, right?
Paradox Locked Clans Behind A Paywall
As if the game didn’t have enough working against it – less of a focus on role-playing and more emphasis on action, as well as a lengthy and tortured development cycle that saw the project change hands and basically start from scratch with a new developer, The Chinese Room – players were furious at the fact that publisher Paradox was withholding clans, which are basically character classes, unless they were willing to pay an additional $30. The backlash was immediate and strong.
Paradox then made the mistake of doubling down, with a PR rep telling PCGamesN at Gamescom, “It's not uncommon for games to come out with additional content, 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.”
Narrative director Ian Thomas also told Rock Paper Shotgun, essentially, that there have been huge changes during the development cycle and significant expansion of scope, some of that becomes “additional content”. Personally, I think that if it’s in the game at launch and it’s not cosmetic, it should just be part of the game, but what do I know?
There’s No Real Way To Backtrack Now
Now, it seems, Paradox is attempting to backtrack. As shared by a ResetEra user, Paradox community developer DebbieElla said in the Discord, “We are listening to your feedback about the Lasombra and Toreador clan access, and we’re making adjustments ahead of launch to reflect this. We will share more information about what this means as soon as possible.”
It’s unclear exactly what Paradox’s solution to this kerfuffle will be. Players are already upset that the publisher attempted to fleece its fans with day one DLC, which is entirely understandable. Selling cosmetics is one thing, but paywalling clans is another. What's more, the Toreador are one of the game's seven original clans.
You’ll be able to unlock abilities from clans other than your own character’s in the game, but it’s unclear if Lasombra and Toreador will be accessible in the same way.
But apart from the awful PR Paradox has managed to garner for its already beleaguered game, there’s really only one solution that would pacify players: a full removal of the paywalling of clans. This would be the fairest way to handle things, considering these clans should have been included in the base game in the first place, but Paradox is unlikely to do that. After all, it’s Paradox.
Besides, pre-orders have already been live for a week. People have likely already paid for the Premium Edition in order to get access to those two clans on launch, and they’re probably going to be quite annoyed if everybody then gets access to the same content without having to pay more. I suppose Paradox could support this with a robust refund effort, but players who are out of the loop might not realise they have to request a refund and miss out. I highly doubt Paradox will go so far as to refund all Premium Edition purchasers, but again, this is the ideal scenario.
The damage has been done, the money has changed hands, and Paradox will remain as greedy a publisher as it’s always been. It’s likely going to try and find a middle ground that pleases nobody, and everybody will remember this as when Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 destroyed all the goodwill it had left. Man, I hope it turns out to at least be a fun game!
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
- Released
- October 21, 2025
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Nudity, Drug Reference, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Hardsuit Labs
- Publisher(s)
- Paradox Interactive
- Engine
- Source
- Franchise
- Vampire the Masquerade
- PC Release Date
- October 21, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 21, 2025
