Supermassive Games, the acclaimed studio behind gripping horror titles such as Until Dawn, The Quarry, and the anthology series The Dark Pictures, has reportedly halted development on a previously unannounced Blade Runner game. According to Insider Gaming, the project titled "Blade Runner: Time To Live" was designed as a "character focused, cinematic, action adventure" set in the year 2065. The narrative revolved around So-Lange, a vintage Nexus-6 model tasked with eliminating the leader of a clandestine replicant network. Betrayed and left for dead, So-Lange's journey would have involved elements of stealth, combat, exploration, investigation, and intense character interactions.
Insider Gaming reported that Blade Runner: Time To Live was backed by a substantial development budget of approximately $45 million, with $9 million specifically allocated for external performance capture and acting talent. The game was slated to feature a 10-12 hour single-player story, with pre-production kicking off in September 2024 and a targeted release date of September 2027 on PC and both current and next-generation consoles.
The cancellation of Blade Runner: Time To Live reportedly stemmed from issues with Alcon Entertainment, the rights holder of the Blade Runner franchise, leading to the project's termination late last year. Meanwhile, in the summer of 2023, publisher Annapurna Interactive unveiled its first in-house Blade Runner game, "Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth," marking the first Blade Runner game in 25 years. However, no further updates have been shared since its announcement.
Amid these developments, Supermassive Games has been busy with multiple projects, including the upcoming entry in the Dark Pictures series titled Directive 8020 and their work on Little Nightmares 3. Last year, the studio faced significant changes, announcing layoffs affecting around 90 employees, as reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, during what was described as a "period of consultation."
In other news, Supermassive's Until Dawn is set to hit the big screen this weekend. You can read our review of David F. Sandberg's adaptation of Until Dawn for more insights on this cinematic venture.
