The Chinese Room

19/06/2026

Last night our Lead Sound Designer Francesco and Principal Narrative Designer Sagar attended the MCV/DEVELOP Awards representing TCR's Audio and Narrative departments, both nominated for their work on "Still Wakes the Deep: Siren's Rest".
The team left with the Audio Innovation of the Year trophy in hand! 🏆 We're enormously thankful for this recognition - both to the jury, and the game's incredible fans.🩵
Congratulations to all of the night's nominees and winners.

10/06/2026

Ysabella Moore’s story "The Flower & The Flame" is OUT NOW in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. 🌹❤️‍🔥
https://www.paradoxinteractive.com/games/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2/add-ons/the-flower-and-the-flame-story-pack

To write about this chaotic artist our Narrative team drew inspiration from places far and wide - "The Hunger" (1983), Franz von Stuck's "The Sin", Pearl Jam's music, the Red Room from Twin Peaks, Julius Shulman's imagery, Helmut Newton's photography, "Total Eclipse of the Heart" music video, Francis Bacon's triptychs and many more strange, dark and wonderful items were on the writers' mood board for this chapter. We really hope you enjoy "The Flower & The Flame".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z0V_vJde9Q

Today's Summer Update also adds ranged weapons, dual wielding, Photo Mode, bug fixes and more - https://www.paradoxinteractive.com/games/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2/news/bloodlines-2-dd-summer-update

Prepare for her glorious moment in the spotlight.Play as Ysabella...

03/06/2026

Ysabella - an artist, a performer, a schemer, carrying old wounds, and making new trouble. How did she end up in Seattle, and what's her plan to make a mark in the city's vampiric courts?
Experience Ysabella Moore's story in Bloodlines 2 - one week from today. 🌹❤️‍🔥
https://www.paradoxinteractive.com/games/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2/news/bloodlines-2-dd-the-flower-and-the-flame

20/05/2026

Last weekend our Principal Game Designer Jade Jacson and Associate Art Director Laura Dodds took part in a BAFTA Connect Forum discussing how fruitful collaboration is key to successful game production processes.
Really thankful to BAFTA for organising these conversations about the devs' craft and for having TCR be part of them! 💙

18/05/2026

Some awesome 'Roomers (Marcus, Will, Lee, John, Jade & Jack!) spent last Thursday evening at a local bowling alley with Brighton's fellow games industry colleagues. 🎳 Together they all raised £2,500 for GamesAid charity, which will assist in important work helping disadvantaged and disabled children and young people across the UK.
https://www.gamesaid.org/

Proud of our team for taking part, thanful to the organisers, and everyone who donated & joined in! 🖤

14/05/2026

What is happening 🥹🌊💙
Enormous thanks to IGN for capturing this.
Greetings to your son from sunny Brighton, and YES to a movie too, Terry! 🎥

05/05/2026

📨 Sign up now: eepurl.com/ho-5Of

01/05/2026

We're massive fans of Amanita Design over here. Congrats with the Release Date and we cannot wait to experience Phonopolis! 📣

30/04/2026

For many of our colleagues across the industry "Kaleidoscope" is already a classic - an excellent book with 100 essays by 100 Narrative experts each offering a distinct perspective on the craft of storytelling in games. There's also an accompanying podcast co-hosted by John Ingold (inkle Studios) and our Principal Narrative Designer Sagar Beroshi. Their intention is to interview all the 100 authors - expanding and deepening the ideas explored on the page. 10 great episodes are already available, but Episode 07 is a particular highlight for us of course as it features an additional 'Roomer - our Narrative Director Ian Thomas. Amongst other topics the trio chat about what computer RPGs might learn from live-action roleplay and how to subtly encourage players to truly inhabit a role.
For anyone working in, or simply curious about narrative design in games, the episodes are essential listening. Enjoy! ✨
https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/

28/04/2026

Was lovely to be approached by the team behind the newly released "Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss" to do this Steam bundle together. Both explore the eerie mysteries of the deep sea in very distinct ways - it's such a rich genre that can harbour so many interpretations!

In Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss and Still Wakes the Deep, isolation becomes your worst enemy. From a sunken city to a collapsing oil rig, confront forces lurking beneath the surface and the terror of having nowhere to run.