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

Supermassive Games, renowned for their gripping horror titles such as Until Dawn, The Quarry, and The Dark Pictures anthology, has reportedly halted development on an 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 on So-Lange, a vintage Nexus-6 model and the last Blade Runner, tasked with eliminating the leader of an underground replicant network. Betrayed and left for dead, So-Lange's journey would have involved elements of stealth, combat, exploration, investigation, and intense character interactions.

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

The project's cancellation reportedly stemmed from issues with Alcon Entertainment, the rights holder for Blade Runner, and occurred sometime late last year.

In other Blade Runner-related news, publisher Annapurna Interactive announced in the summer of 2023 that it was developing 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 other projects, including the upcoming entry in the Dark Pictures series, Directive 8020, and Little Nightmares 3. Last year, the studio faced layoffs, with around 90 employees affected, 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, you can read our review of David F. Sandberg's adaptation of Until Dawn for the big screen.