Blumhouse is a name that has become synonymous with modern horror, particular movies. From Get Out to M3GAN and everything in between, the house that Jason Blum built has become a leader in genre filmmaking these days. Last year, the company launched Blumhouse Games in an effort to put their stamp on the world of gaming. Video games are big business and, if they can successfully carve out a piece of that pie, it could mean big money. But what does it mean for gamers? Well, it sounds like these Blumhouse video games will be a little like the company’s movies, broadly speaking.
Blumhouse Games creative lead Louise Blain recently spoke with Variety about the venture. The company unveiled its initial slate of six games at Summer Game Fest, including one from the mind of Brandon Cronenberg. As far as what players can expect from that slate, Blain says the idea is to cater to horror in all forms, be it a ‘90s teen throwback or a cozy farming simulator with a side of blood.
“We’ll exist in the horror space. I think the incredible thing about horror is it’s so vast. There are so many different sub genres, like supernatural. And with Blumhouse shows or movies, they go across the gamut of horror and that’s really what we want to embrace: horror in all of its forms. And that means that what you’re looking at on the slate is twisted and weird games, and then playing a pixelated cozy agriculture game with murder. The scope is very, very large, as long as you’re playing in the giant format that is horror and the unknown, it can feel like jumpscares, it can feel like exploring a dark corner in a haunted home, and can also feel like, why are the farmers dying in this cute town? The thing is, you could actually really enjoy a horror game, you just didn’t know which one you want to play.”
The first game out of the gate will be Fear the Spotlight from developer Cozy Game Pals. It is described as “a creepy love letter to classic 90s teen horror stories.” The slate also includes a first-person psychedelic horror title Sleep Awake from Eyes Out, the first-person religious folk horror game Crisol: Theater of Idols from Vermila Studios, a found footage game called The Simulation from Playmestudio, a pixelated farming and town simulator where one of the townsfolk is a killer called Grave Seasons from Perfect Garbage and the mysterious Code Name: Project C from Half Mermaid Productions.
Blumhouse, on the movie side, is known for producing titles on the cheap while allowing for a pretty significant amount of creative freedom. It seems they’re taking a similar approach to gaming, as none of these titles are going to be very expensive, per Blumhouse Games president Zach Wood.
“We’re not doing any sort of in-game monetization at all. We’re starting with single-player experiences small in scope with premium pricing. But because of the scope of the game it will be in the $10 to $30 price points, roughly.”
That means the games will probably be smaller in scope (for now) but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They’re also, notably, all original ideas for the time being. While they are primarily interested in “fresh ideas” right now, Wood doesn’t rule out making games based on existing Blumhouse IP. “We certainly would like to,” he said. They did turn a pre-existing game in the form of Five Nights at Freddy’s into a huge hit. So why not do it with some of the homegrown franchisees as well?
In short, Blumhouse Games is going to try to make original ideas at an affordable price point playing around in every corner of the horror genre. On paper at least, that sounds pretty good. Whether or not it pans out from an execution standpoint remains to be seen. If it goes well, it just means more opportunity. Who knows? A Purge video game could be pretty wild. Not to get too ahead of ourselves or anything.
Fear the Spotlight is expected to release in fall 2024. For more, be sure to check out the list of horror games we can’t wait to play this year.
