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It's come to light that Hardsuit Labs, former developer of RPG sequel Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, has undergone significant layoffs after it was removed by publisher Paradox from its duties on the game last week.
As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, former writer and narrative designer Anna C. Webster announced she had been let go on Twitter, saying she "and the rest of the narrative department" had been made redundant from the studio and were seeking new opportunities. This also included another former narrative designer on the game —Nicole Stanford— and former lead narrative designer Samantha Wallschlaeger who both confirmed their news on their own Twitter accounts, with the latter having only been hired by the company as recently as October.
Redundancies have also been reported outside of the primary narrative team, with producers Austin Maestre and Markus Azeltine also announcing they had been let go from the studio. No comment has currently been made at the time of writing from Hardsuit Labs themselves.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has had a very rocky road to launch of late, with the game being postponed into 2021 and losing its former Creative Director before publisher Paradox Interactive announced last week that due to the development changes it would miss this year entirely and no new formal release date has been announced.
For now, here's hoping that all those affected find their feet again very soon.
I'm heartbroken to announce that I've been laid off from my position as a narrative designer at Hardsuit Labs – alongside the rest of the narrative department (and many others). All four of us are seeking new opportunities.
— Anna – Looking for Work! (@annacwebs) March 1, 2021
