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

Supermassive Games, the creative force behind acclaimed horror titles such as Until Dawn, The Quarry, and The Dark Pictures anthology, has reportedly halted the development of 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 centered around So-Lange, a vintage Nexus-6 model and the last Blade Runner, tasked with eliminating the leader of a clandestine replicant network. Betrayed and left for dead, So-Lange's journey would have been segmented into phases of stealth, combat, exploration, investigation, and emotionally charged character interactions.

Insider Gaming revealed that the game's development was backed by a budget of approximately $45 million, which included $9 million allocated for external performance capture and acting talent. The single-player story was projected to span 10-12 hours, 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 collapsed due to complications with Alcon Entertainment, the entity holding the rights to Blade Runner, leading to its cancellation sometime late last year.

In related news, publisher Annapurna Interactive announced in the summer of 2023 its intention to develop its first in-house game, Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth, touted as the first Blade Runner game in 25 years. Since then, details about this project have remained scarce.

Amidst these developments, Supermassive Games has been managing multiple projects, including the upcoming installment in the Dark Pictures series, Directive 8020, and their work on Little Nightmares 3. Last year, the studio announced layoffs affecting around 90 workers, as reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, amid a "period of consultation."

In other Supermassive news, the Until Dawn movie adaptation is set to hit theaters this weekend. For those interested, you can find our review of David F. Sandberg's take on Until Dawn for the big screen right here.