The Chinese Room, developer of Still Wakes The Deep and the upcoming Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, has gone independent from former owner Sumo Digital following a management buyout facilitated by venture capital firm Hiro Capital.
Acquired by Sumo Digital in 2018 – group that was itself purchased by Tencent in 2022 –, The Chinese Room plans to focus on independently creating and developing new intellectual property by capitalizing on the momentum gained from its latest such effort, first-person narrative horror game Still Wakes the Deep, which won the Bafta Game Award for Best New IP.
The Chinese Room Goes Independent
The studio is currently working on Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, after taking over development from Seattle-based outfit Hardsuit Labs, as well as two new IPs.
“This management buyout allows us to scratch the creative itch of continuing to work on new, original intellectual property, but also to partner with other studios on other projects when they fit in with our vision,” said Ed Daly, studio director of The Chinese Room.
“This is what we are doing and we want to carry on doing it, so we’re happy to carry on in this vein.”
Unfortunately, The Chinese Room’s regained independence did come at a cost, as it confirmed to Game Developer that some of its workers were laid off. While it didn’t provide exact numbers, it did state that 55 developers currently remain employed with no further layoffs planned.
Details about the developer’s new IPs remain scarce at the moment, but Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 will be the first test for its ambitions to move beyond narrative adventure games, the genre that helped it gain popularity.
The Paradox Interactive-published sequel has had its share of obstacles since first being announced and is currently slated to release at some point in October 2025, after being delayed earlier in March.
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