Introducing Phyre, The Player Character in ‘Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2’
The Elder Kindred is brought to (un)life with fully voiced conversations and branching dialogue options that shape the vampire RPG’s narrative
STOCKHOLM – October 31, 2023 – Paradox Interactive and The Chinese Room today introduced Phyre, the lead protagonist in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. An Elder Kindred Embraced during the early 17th Century, Phyre influences Seattle’s power structures with fully-voiced conversations. Players will customize this protagonist, choosing gender and clan - as well as outfits, behavior and the blood they feed on, all of which affect the way Seattle reacts to Phyre and their progression. Paradox will announce the playable vampire clans on the game’s website in the coming weeks.
Learn more about Phyre in the developer commentary video here: https://youtu.be/uwXf5nMa-UI
In Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, players choose one of four clans for Phyre and begin exploring Seattle’s dark vampiric-inspired underbelly. Along the way, players learn about the world around them through Fabien, the strange and ever-present voice in Phyre’s head. With branching dialogue options, every conversation with Seattle’s powerful elites shapes how the environment and characters react to Phyre, impacting how the story unfolds.
“Creating a character that resonates with players in the World of Darkness, yet shakes up what they know about Seattle, is a core pillar of our storytelling,” said Ian Thomas, Narrative Director at The Chinese Room. “We maintain Vampire: The Masquerade’s essence and leverage its dark undertones to weave Phyre’s intricate narrative. Leveraging a protagonist adds weight to the narrative choices with room for players to customize Phyre’s background throughout the story. All these elements combine to create a deeply immersive experience that players expect from a Bloodlines game while maintaining our signature Chinese Room flair.”
“Bloodlines 2 comes to life with Phyre as they wake an Elder vampire in a very different world than they remember. They have a certain edge to every encounter, whether combat or social - a few hundred years’ practice makes for an advantage,” said Sean Greaney, Executive Vice President of World of Darkness at publisher Paradox Interactive. “Seattle adapts and changes to the choices and dialogue options players choose, resulting in a different story experience.”
Fans eager for more Bloodlines 2 content can tune in to the second season of Seattle by Night, the actual play tabletop RPG series, today at 5:00 PM PT on the Penny Arcade Twitch channel. The events that transpire in Seattle by Night set the stage for Phyre’s awakening in Bloodlines 2. Catch up on season one and watch all episodes from season two after they air every Tuesday on Penny Arcade’s YouTube channel.
To learn more about Bloodlines 2, visit the official website, follow #Bloodlines2 on all social media platforms, and join the community on the game’s Discord.
You can find the press kit here.
About Paradox Interactive
Paradox Interactive is one of the premier developers and publishers of strategy and management games for PC and consoles. The players are located all over the world but some of the biggest markets are North America, Western Europe, and Asia.
The game portfolio consists of popular franchises such as Stellaris, Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron, Crusader Kings, Cities: Skylines, Prison Architect, the Surviving games, Age of Wonders, and Victoria. Paradox Interactive also owns the World of Darkness brand catalog.
For more information, please visit www.paradoxinteractive.com.
About World of Darkness
World of Darkness is a transmedia entertainment brand encompassing a number of modern fantasy horror franchises, including Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and more. Through tabletop roleplaying games, video games, board games, literature, comic books, and more, these franchises tell mature stories in a dark supernatural fantasy layered over our modern world. Since 1991, World of Darkness has defined monster-perspective entertainment for a generation of fans. For more information visit www.worldofdarkness.com.
About The Chinese Room
The Chinese Room is an award-winning game development studio based in Brighton, UK. Since 2012, the studio has built a reputation for innovative first-person gaming. Their titles include the ground-breaking Dear Esther (2012); the cult horror Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs (2013); the internationally acclaimed Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture (2015) and the highly-anticipated Still Wakes the Deep (2024).