"Next-Gen Blade Runner Game by Until Dawn Studio Reportedly Canceled"

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 2065, where players would take on the role of So-Lange, the last remaining Blade Runner and a vintage Nexus-6 model. The narrative was poised to explore So-Lange's mission to retire the head of an underground replicant network, only to be betrayed and left for dead, navigating through a series of stealth, combat, exploration, investigation, and emotionally charged character interactions.

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

In other news related to the Blade Runner franchise, 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 then, there has been no further news or updates on this project.

Amidst these developments, Supermassive Games continues to work on multiple fronts, including the next installment in The Dark Pictures series, Directive 8020, and Little Nightmares 3. The studio faced significant changes last year, announcing layoffs affecting around 90 employees, according to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, as it entered a "period of consultation."

On a brighter note, fans of Supermassive Games can look forward to the cinematic adaptation of Until Dawn hitting theaters this weekend. For more on David F. Sandberg's take on the Until Dawn story on the big screen, check out our review here.