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

Supermassive Games, renowned for their horror adventures 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, Supermassive was crafting a "character-focused, cinematic, action-adventure" title titled Blade Runner: Time To Live. Set in 2065, the narrative would have revolved around So-Lange, the last of the vintage Nexus-6 Blade Runners, tasked with eliminating the leader of an underground replicant network. Betrayed and left to perish in a harsh environment, So-Lange's journey would have been split into various gameplay elements including stealth, combat, exploration, investigation, and intense character interactions.

Insider Gaming disclosed that the game boasted a development budget of approximately $45 million, with $9 million designated for external performance capture and acting talent. The game was slated to offer a 10-12 hour single-player experience, with pre-production commencing in September 2024, aiming for a September 2027 release on PC and both current and next-generation consoles.

The project's demise was reportedly due to complications with Alcon Entertainment, the rights holder for the Blade Runner franchise, leading to its cancellation sometime late last year.

In a related development, publisher Annapurna Interactive announced in the summer of 2023 their intention to develop their first in-house game, Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth, marking the first Blade Runner game in 25 years. However, there has been no further news or updates on this project.

Simultaneously, Supermassive Games has been managing multiple projects, including the forthcoming Dark Pictures installment, Directive 8020, and Little Nightmares 3. Last year, the studio faced layoffs, cutting around 90 jobs, as reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, during what was described as a "period of consultation."

On a different note, Supermassive's Until Dawn is set to hit the big screen this weekend. You can read our review of David F. Sandberg's cinematic adaptation of Until Dawn here.