Supermassive Games, renowned for their gripping horror titles such as Until Dawn, The Quarry, and The Dark Pictures anthology series, has reportedly halted the development of 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" experience set in the year 2065. The narrative would have revolved around So-Lange, a vintage Nexus-6 model, tasked with the mission to retire the leader of a secretive replicant network. However, So-Lange faces betrayal and abandonment, navigating through a brutal environment with gameplay encompassing stealth, combat, exploration, investigation, and intense character interactions.
Insider Gaming revealed that the development budget for Blade Runner: Time To Live was approximately $45 million, with $9 million designated for external performance capture and acting talent. The game was planned to offer a 10-12 hour single-player experience and was in pre-production as of September 2024, with a targeted release date set for September 2027 on PC and both current and next-generation consoles. Unfortunately, the project was canceled late last year due to complications with Alcon Entertainment, the rights holder of the Blade Runner franchise.
In other Blade Runner-related news, publisher Annapurna Interactive announced in the summer of 2023 their venture into in-house game development with "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 announcement.
Amidst these developments, Supermassive Games has been busy with multiple projects, including the upcoming installment in The Dark Pictures series, titled Directive 8020, and their work on Little Nightmares 3. Last year, the studio faced significant layoffs, with around 90 employees affected, as reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, during a period of consultation.
On a different note, fans of Supermassive's work can look forward to the cinematic adaptation of Until Dawn, hitting theaters this weekend. For more on this, you can read our review of David F. Sandberg's take on Until Dawn for the big screen.
