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 iconic Blade Runner universe. According to Insider Gaming, the project, titled Blade Runner: Time To Live, was envisioned as a "character focused, cinematic, action adventure" game centered around the last Blade Runner in 2065. The protagonist, So-Lange, a vintage Nexus-6 model, was tasked with eliminating the leader of an underground replicant network but faced betrayal and abandonment in a hostile setting. The gameplay was said to blend elements of stealth, combat, exploration, investigation, and intense character interactions.
Insider Gaming detailed that the game's development budget was approximately $45 million, with $9 million set aside for external performance capture and acting. The project promised a 10-12 hour single-player experience and was in pre-production as of September 2024, with a release targeted for September 2027 on PC and both current and next-generation consoles. Unfortunately, the project was reportedly terminated late last year due to complications with Alcon Entertainment, the rights holder for Blade Runner.
In related news, publisher Annapurna Interactive announced in the summer of 2023 their intention to develop Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth, marking the first Blade Runner game in 25 years. However, there have been no further updates on this project since its initial announcement.
Amidst these developments, Supermassive Games has been busy with other projects, including the upcoming Dark Pictures installment, Directive 8020, and Little Nightmares 3. The studio also faced challenges last year, announcing layoffs affecting around 90 employees as it entered a "period of consultation," according to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier.
On a brighter note, fans of Supermassive's work can look forward to the theatrical release of the Until Dawn movie this weekend. For those interested, our review of David F. Sandberg's adaptation of Until Dawn for the big screen is available here.
