Development on an unannounced Blade Runner game started back in September 2024, but the project has since been quietly cancelled without an official announcement. Supermassive Games, the studio best known for narrative horror titles like The Quarry and The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes, was reportedly working on this Blade Runner adaptation. According to Insider Gaming journalist Mike Straw, the game was scrapped before it ever got revealed.

Although Supermassive Games has yet to officially acknowledge it, reports claim the project was intended to be a “character-driven, cinematic action-adventure experience.” It was set to be called Blade Runner: Time to Live, and the story would have taken players roughly 10 to 12 hours to complete.

Production started in September 2024 with an early pre-production phase. The narrative team behind The Quarry was also assigned to this project. While the project was ultimately cancelled, it was initially planned that an internal prototype would be ready by September this year, setting the stage for full production afterward.

Blade Runner: Time to Live was being developed as a cross-generation title, intended for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and also for Sony’s and Microsoft’s next-generation consoles expected to launch in 2027. The gameplay was said to be more involved and action-focused compared to Supermassive’s usual narrative-heavy style.

Rather than playing like an interactive movie similar to The Quarry or Man of Medan, Blade Runner: Time to Live would have emphasized four core gameplay elements: stealth, combat, exploration, and investigation. It would also have included a character progression system, allowing players to upgrade abilities and skills over time.

The game’s story would have centered around So-Lange, a vintage Nexus-6 model replicant exploring the dark underbelly of New Zurich. Initially tasked with eliminating Rev, the leader of an underground replicant network, So-Lange’s journey would have soon turned into one of betrayal and revenge. The story was set in the year 2065, eighteen years after the events depicted in the critically acclaimed film Blade Runner 2047.

“Journey from the bustling undercity of New Zurich in 2065 to the eerie remnants of the forgotten outer world,” described an excerpt from the project. “Assigned to retire Rev, the mysterious and ruthless leader of an underground replicant faction, you are betrayed and left for dead in a brutally hostile world.”

The exact reason behind the cancellation remains unclear, but it is believed that issues with Alcon Entertainment, the rights holder for the Blade Runner IP, were a significant factor. Reports suggest that the project was officially terminated in late 2024.

It’s worth noting that Blade Runner has had previous video game adaptations. The original 1997 Blade Runner point-and-click adventure game was re-released in 2022 as an Enhanced Edition for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Another project, Blade Runner 2033, was announced for PC and consoles in 2023, but little has been heard about it since.

Source: GamingBolt