Supermassive Games, renowned for crafting immersive horror adventures such as Until Dawn, The Quarry, and the popular The Dark Pictures Anthology, has reportedly halted development on an undisclosed Blade Runner title. According to reports by Insider Gaming, the studio was quietly working on a highly anticipated project titled Blade Runner: Time To Live. Set in 2065, this character-driven, cinematic action-adventure game promised to follow a vintage Nexus-6 replicant named So-Lange. Under orders to eliminate the leader of an underground replicant network, So-Lange finds herself betrayed and left for dead in a challenging environment. Gameplay would reportedly blend stealth, combat, exploration, investigation, and emotionally charged interactions.

Insider Gaming noted that Blade Runner: Time To Live carried a substantial development budget of approximately $45 million, with $9 million allocated specifically for external performance capture and voice acting talent. The game was expected to deliver a 10-12 hour single-player narrative, beginning pre-production in September 2024, with plans for a September 2027 release across PC and both current and next-generation consoles. However, the project reportedly unraveled due to complications involving Alcon Entertainment, the rights holder to the Blade Runner franchise, leading to its cancellation sometime in the previous year.

Adding intrigue to the mix, publisher Annapurna Interactive announced in summer 2023 that it would be creating its first in-house Blade Runner title, Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth. Promoted as the first new Blade Runner game in 25 years, this project has remained silent since its announcement.

In the meantime, Supermassive Games continues to balance multiple initiatives, including the upcoming entry in the Dark Pictures series, Directive 8020, and development on Little Nightmares 3. The studio underwent layoffs last year, affecting around 90 employees, according to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, as part of a strategic "consultation period."

On a related note, fans can look forward to the theatrical release of Until Dawn, the live-action adaptation of Supermassive's acclaimed game, this weekend. For a detailed review of the film, check out IGN's coverage here.