"Next-Gen Blade Runner Game Scrapped by Until Dawn Studio"

Supermassive Games, the acclaimed studio behind horror titles such as Until Dawn, The Quarry, and the Dark Pictures anthology, has reportedly halted development on a previously unannounced Blade Runner game titled "Blade Runner: Time To Live."

According to Insider Gaming, the game was envisioned as a "character-focused, cinematic, action-adventure" set in the year 2065. It would have centered around So-Lange, a vintage Nexus-6 model and the last Blade Runner, tasked with retiring the leader of an underground replicant network. The narrative would have seen So-Lange betrayed and left for dead, navigating through gameplay segments that included stealth, combat, exploration, investigation, and dramatic character interactions.

Insider Gaming also revealed that Blade Runner: Time To Live had a development budget of approximately $45 million, which included $9 million for external performance capture and acting talent. The game was slated to offer a 10-12 hour single-player experience, with pre-production beginning in September 2024 and a planned release in September 2027 for PC and both current and next-generation consoles.

The cancellation of the project was attributed to issues with Alcon Entertainment, the rights holder of the Blade Runner franchise, and reportedly occurred late last year.

In other Blade Runner gaming news, publisher Annapurna Interactive announced in the summer of 2023 that it was working on its first in-house game, "Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth," marking the first Blade Runner game in 25 years. However, there have been no further updates on this project.

Amidst these developments, Supermassive Games has been busy with multiple projects, including the upcoming entry in the Dark Pictures series, Directive 8020, and Little Nightmares 3. The studio also faced layoffs last year, with around 90 employees affected, as reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, during a "period of consultation."

In related news, fans of Supermassive's work can look forward to the theatrical release of the Until Dawn movie this weekend. For more information, you can read our review of David F. Sandberg's adaptation of Until Dawn for the big screen.