"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" 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 retiring the leader of an underground replicant network. After being betrayed and left for dead, So-Lange's journey would involve elements of stealth, combat, exploration, investigation, and intense character interactions.

Insider Gaming revealed that Blade Runner: Time To Live had a substantial development budget of around $45 million, with $9 million specifically allocated for external performance capture and acting talent. The game was projected to offer a 10-12 hour single-player experience, with pre-production starting in September 2024 and a targeted 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 other Blade Runner game news, publisher Annapurna Interactive announced in the summer of 2023 that they were developing their first in-house game within the franchise, titled "Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth." Touted as the first Blade Runner game in 25 years, there has been no further updates on this project since its initial announcement.

Supermassive Games has been busy with multiple projects, including the upcoming entry in the Dark Pictures series, Directive 8020, and development on Little Nightmares 3. Amidst these endeavors, the studio faced challenges last year, announcing layoffs affecting around 90 workers, as reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, during a "period of consultation."

On a lighter note, fans of Supermassive's work can look forward to the cinematic adaptation of Until Dawn hitting theaters this weekend. For more details, you can read our review of David F. Sandberg's take on the beloved horror game.