Bloodhunt is a free-to-play battle royale title,
developed and published by Sharkmob. It’s certainly a new twist on the franchise – bringing new life to an early 2000’s classic. But the team at Sharkmob are very aware of the IP’s legacy, and remain committed to that delicate balance of respecting what came before it, while also taking the franchise in a new direction. With the game’s early access period now over, and
with the full release on the horizon for later this year, we sat down with art director Rodrigo Cortes and lead technical artist Danial Rashidi, to find out how Sharkmob are bringing Vampire: The Masquerade to the triple-A battle royale space.
Pictured from
top: Rodrigo Cortes, Art Director and Danial Rashidi, Lead Technical Artist
RESPECTING THE PAST “We want to be respectful towards the fans, that has always been the number one issue,” says Cortes. “As you know with all big IPs like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, everything is owned by the fans. You can have writers, and other people who are paid, but it’s the fans who decide if it’s good or not. “We’re very aware of that, and we wanted to make
something that is new to the genre. And of course, with the more action side of things – that’s already a part of the IP and the lore. “But when you look at how it’s been portrayed
previously in the RPGs… like what you’re saying with Bloodlines. It’s this classic RPG where you develop your character, and there’s moments of combat – but our game is more full-out war. It’s still a part of the IP, but it’s different to what people would have been expecting.” You have to feel for Sharkmob a little on that front.
To be clear, Bloodhunt’s early access was well received among fans, and early signs indicate that the team have done excellent work in adapting the franchise into the battle royale mode. For players who want a frantic battle royale title with vampiric powers thrown into the mix,
you couldn’t do much better. But for those wanting a return to the classic RPG roots, well… It isn’t Sharkmob’s fault that Bloodlines 2 isn’t out yet. “We knew that the perception could be that we’re just
mapping the IP onto battle royale, which is just not for us,” says Cortes. “It really is something that was just a natural fit. It’s the ultimate dark fantasy. You have all these cool abilities, and you get to see how it plays out with vampires fighting full-out war with other vampires! “Of course, we would have wished that there was
another RPG out there to cater to the fans, and we would be introducing this new take on the IP… But I think that take is still valid and cool.”
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE That take is more than valid – it’s canon. Bloodhunt might not be a classic RPG, but it’s still contributing new elements to the game’s universe. Such as the introduction of The Entity, the Vatican’s secret service of vampire hunters, who have now become a part of the fifth edition of the official Vampire: The Masquerade rulebook. The game’s setting of Prague, and the vampiric
community within it is also now a part of the Vampire: The Masquerade universe. It’s a new setting for the usually US-centric series, and one that allows Sharkmob the freedom to craft its own world. Which is probably for the best. Even speaking as a
devout Bloodlines fan myself, that game came out a long time ago. So much of the industry, so much of the world has changed since 2004. Nostalgic as I might be, there’s little to be gained from chaining ourselves to the past. Also, not unrelated, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines underperformed to such an extent that it was the last game that Troika Games ever made. “We’re releasing this game in an IP that’s a little bit
stale,” says Cortes. “There’s a lot of heritage, but there haven’t been a lot of new products, there haven’t been a lot of new books. So we had to think about it. Yes, we respect the past, we respect the heritage. But at the same time, this needs to be a modern-looking game. We didn’t want to go with the Bloodlines look, or even the look of the original Vampire the Masquerade, because that was originally created in the 90s. It has this very 90s vibe, and we wanted to make something that feels more 2020s, something more contemporary and relatable for consumers today.” Enter Prague, which Sharkmob has lovingly and
painstakingly recreated in order to provide a real triple-A experience, and to take the franchise in this exciting new direction. “We wanted to do something new,” says Cortes. “Even in the choice of the city. Bloodlines is very US-centric.
48 | MCV/DEVELOP March 2022
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