Poorly received by critics, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 was also poorly received by gamers. Paradox Interactive reviewed its financial results and highlighted the commercial failure of the project.
The publisher confirmed that the game’s failed launch resulted in a $37 million write-down of the software’s development costs. According to new data, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 sold 121,500 copies on Steam. This equates to approximately $4 million in revenue.
In a statement, Frederik Wester, CEO of Paradox, took full responsibility for his company’s failure.
“Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is an excellent vampire fantasy game, and we are pleased with the developers’ work. We had high expectations for a long time, as we knew it was a good game, based on a solid license and belonging to a popular genre. One month after its release, we unfortunately see that sales are not meeting our expectations, forcing us to proceed with an asset impairment.
We bear full responsibility as the publisher. The game is not part of our core business, and in hindsight, it is clear that this made it difficult to assess sales. Going forward, we will focus our investments on our key segments and, at the same time, evaluate how best to develop the World of Darkness brand catalog.”
It’s always tough to see a game fall short of expectations, especially one with such a passionate fanbase. The write-down reflects the challenges in the gaming industry, and I hope Paradox can learn and bounce back from this experience. Looking forward to seeing what they come up with next!
Absolutely, it’s disappointing when a title with a strong fanbase doesn’t deliver. It’s interesting to note how high expectations can sometimes lead to greater backlash, making it even harder for developers to navigate future projects. Hopefully, they can learn from this experience and create something that resonates better with fans next time.