Choosing between one of seven vampire clans each with their own set of powers, dialogue options, and pathways for violent and non-violent conflict resolution, the game offered a staggering freedom of choice even by today’s standard. It was in 2001 that the team partnered with Activision to create V ampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, a game that is widely considered one of the most ambitious and adventurous RPGs ever created, but also one of the biggest commercial failures of its decade.įor those who missed that original game, Bloodlines puts you in the shoes of a newly embraced Kindred in a Los Angeles riddled with ancient vampires in the upper echelons of society. Tim Cain, Jason Anderson, and Leonard Boyarsky were designers on that project, and decided to start their own studio in Irvine, California.įounded on April Fool’s Day in 1998, Troika Games was created with the idea to continue producing RPGs for the PC, initially striking up a publishing deal with Sierra Entertainment for their first game, Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura.
In this case that employer was Interplay, and the disagreement was about the future team structure of the then in-development CRPG Fallout 2. Troika Games started out how most new studios do – an answer to disagreements with their former employer.
To truly understand this story we have to go back to 2004 a landmark year in gaming that saw the release of classics such as Far Cry, Katamari Damacy, Half-Life 2, and a quirky game based on a tabletop RPG from the 90s, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. What was shaping up to be the first major action RPG from a publisher long known for their thoughtful 4X and Strategy offerings, had quickly spiraled into a tall tale of game development hell that included surprise layoffs, considerable delays, and eventually pondering the option of cancellation.īut all of this is par for the course for Vampire fans. When Paradox Interactive announced that Vampire the Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 was delayed indefinitely, it was not a surprise for longtime fans of the cult-classic RPG.
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