Developer Hardsuit Labs has been hit with a round of layoffs after the recent news that Paradox Interactive removed the studio as the lead developer of the long-delayed Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines 2.

Numerous developers at the Seattle-based Hardsuit Labs reported they were impacted by the job losses. Narrative designer Anna C. Webster said she was let go "alongside the rest of the narrative department (and many others)." Other developers from Hardsuit, including at least one producer, were let go as part of the shake-up.

After a delay late in 2020, Bloodlines 2 was expected to launch in 2021 as development focused on polishing. In its latest earnings release, however, Paradox recently announced that the sequel to Vampire: The Masquerade will no longer be releasing in 2021 at all, and that a new studio is now at work on the project.