Next-Gen Blade Runner Game From The Studio Behind Until Dawn Reportedly Scrapped

Supermassive Games, renowned for their gripping horror titles such as Until Dawn, The Quarry, and The Dark Pictures anthology, has reportedly halted the development of a new, unannounced Blade Runner game. According to Insider Gaming, the project, titled "Blade Runner: Time To Live," was envisioned as a "character-focused, cinematic, action-adventure" set in the year 2065. The narrative would have centered around So-Lange, a veteran Nexus-6 model, tasked with eliminating the head of a secretive replicant network. After being betrayed and left in a hostile environment, So-Lange's journey would have intertwined stealth, combat, exploration, investigation, and intense character interactions.

Insider Gaming revealed that Blade Runner: Time To Live had a substantial development budget of approximately $45 million, with $9 million allocated specifically for external performance capture and acting talent. The game was planned to feature a 10-12 hour single-player story, with pre-production starting in September 2024 and a targeted release in September 2027 on PC and both current and next-generation consoles.

However, the project was reportedly derailed due to complications with Alcon Entertainment, the rights holder for Blade Runner, leading to its cancellation towards the end of last year.

In related news, in the summer of 2023, Annapurna Interactive announced their first in-house Blade Runner game, "Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth," marking the first Blade Runner game in 25 years. Unfortunately, there have been no further updates on this project since its initial announcement.

Supermassive Games has been busy with multiple projects, including the upcoming installment in The Dark Pictures series, "Directive 8020," and their work on "Little Nightmares 3." Last year, the studio faced challenges, leading to layoffs of around 90 employees, as reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, during a period of consultation.

On a brighter note, fans of Supermassive's work can look forward to the theatrical release of the Until Dawn movie this weekend. For more details, check out our review of David F. Sandberg's adaptation of Until Dawn for the big screen.