"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 series, has reportedly halted development on an unannounced game set in the Blade Runner universe. According to Insider Gaming, the project, titled "Blade Runner: Time To Live," was envisioned as a "character-focused, cinematic, action-adventure" experience set in the year 2065. The narrative would have revolved around So-Lange, a vintage Nexus-6 model and the last Blade Runner, tasked with eliminating the leader of an underground replicant network. After being betrayed and left for dead, So-Lange's journey would have included elements of stealth, combat, exploration, investigation, and intense character interactions.

Insider Gaming disclosed that Blade Runner: Time To Live was backed by a substantial development budget of approximately $45 million, with $9 million specifically allocated for external performance capture and acting talent. The game was slated to offer a 10-12 hour single-player experience, with pre-production kicking off in September 2024 and a planned release in September 2027 for PC and both current and next-generation consoles. However, the project reportedly fell through due to complications with Alcon Entertainment, the rights holder for Blade Runner, leading to its cancellation late last year.

In 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. Since the announcement, 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 work on Little Nightmares 3. The studio faced challenges last year, announcing layoffs affecting 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 cinematic adaptation of Until Dawn hitting theaters this weekend. For more on this, you can read our review of David F. Sandberg's take on Until Dawn for the big screen.