The past month, we've been working on exclusive coverage for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, but there's one secret we've yet to divulge: Fabien, the Malkavian detective in the protagonist's head, is actually the game's second playable character. Today, The Chinese Room revealed this to the world, along with the game's official release date: October 21, 2025.

Fabien is only playable in certain, dedicated sections of the game, but will hopefully satisfy Vampire: The Masquerade fans hoping to play as a Malkavian. The following excerpt from a press release details his gameplay style more thoroughly.

Between nights, as Phyre rests, dreams and voices from Fabien's past take hold. Emerging as Fabien, players enter a neo-noir 1920s Seattle and use his Malkavian abilities to unravel the mystery behind his murder. Solving the case proves challenging, as Fabien's fractured perception of reality, a trait of his Malkavian blood, makes it difficult to distinguish fact from fiction.

Paradox also announced that two additional playable clans, Lasombra and Toreador, will be available as the Shadows & Silk DLC pack on launch day, giving Phyre more potential combat abilities and outfits. It's available as part of Bloodlines 2's Premium Edition, which also comes with the Santa Monica Memories cosmetic pack.

The base game will cost $59.99/£49.99/€59.99, while the deluxe edition (which includes Santa Monica Memories) will cost $69.99/£58.50/€69.99, while the premium edition (which includes both Santa Monica Memories and Shadows & Silk) will cost $89.99/£74.99/€89.99. You can also buy Santa Monica Memories and Shadows & Silk individually for $11.99/£9.99/€11.99 and $21.99/£18.69/€21.99, respectively.

Pre-orders are open today, and doing so grants you the Bloodlines Nostalgia Jukebox, which sits in the protagonist's Haven and allows them to listen to music from the original Bloodlines soundtrack.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is out October 21. For more on the game, check out our hands-on discussion during The Game Informer Show, our interview with the art director, our interview discussing why The Chinese Room made Bloodlines 2 rather than a new series, or our exclusive digital cover story.

Blizzard has provided a deluge of new information about World of Warcraft’s next expansion, Midnight, at Gamescom. As part of the reveal, we’ve learned that the next allied race coming to WoW is the Haranir, an ancient group of hunters distinguished by their bioluminescent features. Somewhere between the appearance of a Night Elf and a Troll, Blizzard describes the Haranir as a populace living closely with nature, so much so that they grow their architecture rather than building it. 

Players encounter the new race, first introduced in The War Within expansion, and their signature dwellings in Harandar, one of Midnight’s new zones. The primeval jungle, home to a new dungeon called the Blinding Vale, nestles around the World Tree’s roots, brimming with fungal overgrowth like moss overpasses and saprophytic spires. 

Watch World of Warcraft: Midnight's Gameplay Reveal Trailer:

First introduced in 2018’s Battle for Azeroth expansion, players unlock allied races by completing large quest arcs, usually tied to a new zone’s main questline, that result in a previously neutral race joining their faction, granting new options when creating a character. Like the Earthen, an allied race introduced in The War Within, the Haranir are available to both Horde and Alliance factions upon completing the requirements. 

The Haranir's available classes include Warrior, Monk, Rogue, Hunter, Priest, Shaman, Warlock, Mage, and Druid. 

 

Are you looking for more information on World of Warcraft: Midnight? We recently visited Blizzard to learn about player housing and try out the exciting new feature for ourselves. Read about everything we learned right here.  

Announced during Gamescom Opening Night Live, the anime-inspired rhythm game that follows a band of musicians on the run in a world where music is illegal, Unbeatable, is releasing on November 6. Playstack, the publisher behind recent hits like Balatro and Abiotic Factor, is backing the project. It's easy to see why, as developer D-Cell’s hand-drawn animation evokes classic anime series like FLCL, and its character designs seep with attitude and personality.

Unbeatable is launching on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam this November.

Watch Unbeatable’s New Release Date Trailer:

Opening Night Live just gave us a new look at The Outer Worlds 2 in the form of a brand-new trailer focused on the companions that players will bring along on the journey.

Niles appears to be focused on mechanical repairs and wields a pistol in the scene we see of him. Valerie is a floating robot who specializes in healing in damage reduction. Aza is a masked figure from The Glorious Dawn faction; in battle, we see her wielding a close-quarters dagger to bring down bad guys. Inez is the field medic who apparently joins from the Auntie’s Choice in-game company. Marisol is an assassin and member of the Order of the Ascendant, and has been described in earlier communications as a “deadly mathematician.” Tristan looks like a knight in shining red armor, wielding a massive hammer.

The trailer makes a point to highlight that player/companion relationships and sex aren’t part of the game. But we certainly see a lot of variety in the combat gameplay for the various individuals, which may make up for the lack of romance (at least for some players).

The Outer Worlds 2 is headed to Xbox Series X/S and PC on October 29. 

The latest trailer for Silent Hill f showcased and teased some familiar Silent Hill franchise mechanics. You can hear crackling radios, witness shifting realities, and the game's protagonist, Hinako, does battle with some mannequin enemies.

We also see some story teases with Hinako being asked to kill someone (or something) with her bare hands. A man wearing a fox mask also says to her, "Must be hard to bid farewell to childhood friends."

Silent Hill f releases September 25 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. For a whole lot more on the next game in the iconic Konami horror franchise, heads here to read about Marcus Stewart's trip to Japan where he went hands-on with the game.