Unleashing Potential: Embracing a New Era of Innovation with Blumhouse Games | Playable Futures

This series of Playable Futures articles examines how the genre, technology, players, and themes of video games are shaping and affecting the larger world.

Fear as a concept has a rich historical background in video games. From early titles such as 1986’s unsettling point-and-click adventure Uninvited: Entering the Mansion to the intense atmosphere of The Last of Us Part II – through the perennial survival horror genre – games have long excelled at unsettling or disturbing their players.

However, horror isn’t limited to games, given its established presence in literature, film, television, and even music. No single medium defines horror, and in the context of video games, it is often perceived as a mood and tone applied to other genres rather than a genre of its own. More often than not, horror games are indeed action-adventure titles, point-and-click games, or even 2D shooters and farming simulators.

In cinema, while terms like ‘comedy horror’ and ‘road movie horror’ are identifiable sub-genres, their existence hinges on the use of horror as a tonal complement to existing genres. Bands such as The Misfits exude horror in each beat and lyric, yet they are classified as a punk band.

Considering games’ long-standing connection with horror, it might seem easy to conclude that we’ve mastered the genre like the final nail in a well-secured coffin. However, what games can derive from a broader understanding of what horror signifies is now unlocking numerous new paths to explore innovative forms and commercial successes.

This is something that is very much on the minds of the 2023-established gaming division at the iconic horror film company Blumhouse Productions. Blumhouse’s most notable cinematic works include The Purge, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and Paranormal Activity – the latter of which achieved box office revenues of $194.2 million from a production and post-production budget of around $215,000.

“Our initial impulse isn’t to develop games for all the Blumhouse IP we hold. We’re taking our time to contemplate what horror can signify for games now.”

“Blumhouse is undeniably a force in horror cinema, and we’ve always looked for unique horror expressions across film, television, and other media. Now we’re delving into games,” states Louise Blain, a highly experienced former game journalist, and now Creative Lead at Blumhouse Games. “Blumhouse is venturing into genuinely exciting realms because there are numerous intriguing places to tell unsettling stories. And our initial impulse isn’t to create games for all the Blumhouse IP we have. We’re taking our time to reflect on what horror can mean for games today.”

The implications of this reflection yield an ambitious lineup of upcoming games – alongside a launched title Fear the Spotlight – crafted by independent teams collaborating with Blumhouse’s extensive catalog of narratives, experiences, and expertise. Most notably, the games collectively present various genres infused with a horror tone – many situated in unexpected settings. For example, Grave Seasons is a pixelated farming simulator from studio Ultimate Garbage, which invites you to outsmart a supernatural serial killer while cultivating crops and forming relationships.

Other Blumhouse Games projects, meanwhile, are incorporating non-gaming talents into the development of horror games. The mystery-laden FMV game Project C, for instance, comes from Sam Barlow, the mastermind behind the innovative Her Story, and Brandon Cronenberg, the screenwriter and director of horror films like Antiviral and Infinity Pool.

Blumhouse’s debut lineup of games, Blain believes, indicates that there are still numerous unexplored opportunities within horror – from new ways to create games to fresh approaches to genre. This is, in part, facilitated by the evolving relationship between games and cinema.

“I believe what we’re witnessing now could lead to greater dialogue among the gaming, film, and TV mediums, and a deeper understanding of what they can learn from and create together. If we look at adaptations like Fallout and The Last of Us TV shows, which both carry an element of horror, we’re observing this extraordinary quality, but also that people comprehend games more now, and appreciate transferring elements between games and films, with authenticity and understanding. The potential opportunities are genuinely thrilling.”

Undoubtedly, this convergence is partially driven by television and film creators adopting the production tools and methods from games, from Unreal’s increased uptake to pipelines directly adapted from the game development handbook.

However, to focus merely on the technological aspect, Blain suggests, is to overlook the broader possibilities here.

“I do think that rather than just on the technical or engineering side, what intrigues me as a horror enthusiast is witnessing these new narratives intertwining in various innovative ways, especially when films or games utilize the strengths of the other medium. For instance, a film like Host is entirely set on Zoom. That’s a fascinating concept for game developers to explore.

“Or there’s Don’t Peek, a sh