The next Vampire: The Masquerade game may spring from November’s Vampire Jam

Winners will get to release their game as an officially-sanctioned Vampire: The Masquerade game on Steam.

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Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2might well and truly be in development hell these days. But there’s still plenty more stories to tell in the neck-biting setting—and IP owner World of Darkness hopes a month will be long enough for you to make a convincing pitch for the series' next game.

Announced today and kicking off Halloween (October 31),Vampire Jamis a month-long Itch.io game jam inviting developers to make their own games set in the V:TM universe. Since it’s being run by a major publisher there are some strict rules laid out on the jam page (no monetization allowed, no use of existing characters or branding), but otherwise entries are free to use whatever engine they like. Paradox has even compiled a bank of free assets to get you started.

The top three games will each earn monetary prizes ($1,000 for first) and an entire library of 5th Edition V:TM books. But the neatest reward is that the first-place team will get to collaborate with the World of Darkness team to make their game more official, launching it for free on Steam alongside the rest of the franchise.

The winner being released for free is why I’d hesitate to call this spec work. Rather, it simply seems like a neat way for budding developers to play around in an IP they’d otherwise not have access to underWorld of Darkness' usual fan-work agreement. Horror may be huge on Itch right now, but few games are specifically vampire-themed—it’ll be fun to pore through the entries once the jam finishes on November 30.

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20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she’s not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it’s the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.

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