Unfortunately, this is yet another project that will never see the light of day. Hasbro’s gaming division has scrapped it.

Last year, rumors circulated that Wizards of the Coast, or WotC, had quietly canceled an unannounced horror game in development at its Skeleton Key studio in Austin. This resulted in an unknown number of layoffs. WotC later confirmed that the developer was shelving the project to focus on a second title already in development. Founded in 2022 by BioWare veteran Christian Dailey, the studio aimed to deliver AAA-quality experiences centered on immersive gameplay, unique stories, and thought-provoking moments of suspense and horror. From the project’s inception to its conclusion, no concrete details ever emerged about what the game would be about. However, MP1st revealed exclusive details about the lost project, including its official codename and planned narrative direction.

Developed under the codename “Sundown,” the game was a psychological journey blending elements of science fiction and survival horror. The story revolves around the mysterious disappearance of a renowned scientist named Victoria and the mission of her former partner, Ava, to find her. Ava, a mechanical engineer, was initially tasked with retrieving a valuable piece of technology located in Victoria’s research facility. This isolated complex served as the game’s main setting and was home to all manner of strange creations built by Victoria. The mission turned into a nightmare for Ava when she encountered terrifying threats, such as human-like cyborgs and robots modeled exactly after her, known as Robo-Avas. These robots functioned as a collective consciousness and reflected different aspects of Ava’s personality, turning the game into a literal “face your fears” scenario.

To survive these threats, players had to gather weapons and useful items throughout the facility. They started with melee weapons, such as a metal thigh bone used as a crowbar. Later, they found firearms in gift shops. Similarly, healing mechanics fit into the sci-fi horror narrative. Instead of traditional first-aid kits, players used items such as the Eternity Elixir: a packaged, neo-Victorian-style syringe containing live human stem cells. Players also discovered unstable locations known as Breaches. These transitional sites were scoured by the Robo-Avars and provided crucial clues to Victoria’s whereabouts. Despite their terrifying nature, this dynamic actually made the Robo-Avars useful to the protagonist.

One of the bosses was a massive, humanoid killer robot named Alex. Since Alex could not speak, he communicated by playing pre-recorded songs from the ’70s and ’80s. While lurking throughout the facility and collecting Robo-Avars, his primary goal was to hunt down the protagonist and prevent him from completing his mission. The game also featured interesting supporting characters, such as David, a security guard at the facility, and Oscar, a pompous theater actor who transferred his consciousness into a robot after his death so he could live forever and continue acting. These eerie sci-fi horror concepts will never see the light of day, but they nonetheless mark the end of the first chapter of Skeleton Key as the studio takes a different direction.

Corinne Busche, the creative director of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and former director of the game, is currently leading the studio’s latest project. After leaving BioWare, Busche said that the upcoming game will be a CRPG and will continue the tradition of great characters. Although Skeleton Key hasn’t officially revealed anything about the game, recent job postings offer strong hints about its direction. According to these postings, the new game is still in the early stages of development. Among the interesting details provided to applicants are story-driven, action-RPG gameplay; first-person storytelling; interactive dialogue scenes with branching plots; and multiplayer and cooperative game modes.

Given WotC’s intention to capitalize on Baldur’s Gate 3‘s massive success, Busche’s experience with renowned fantasy RPGs has sparked speculation that Skeleton Key might be working on Baldur’s Gate 4. However, details such as the first-person perspective clash with the series’ traditional top-down, isometric experience. Whether this points to a radical reimagining of the franchise or a completely separate D&D-based action RPG remains to be seen. Either way, this upcoming title will be a test of whether the studio can break the mold set by its predecessor and other games that recently failed under the WotC banner.

The past few years have been extremely difficult for the company, marked by the cancellation of several high-profile gaming projects. These include D&D projects, such as Hidden Path Entertainment’s Project Dante, as well as the recently unannounced title from Stig Asmussen’s studio, Giant Skull.

Source: MP1st, Game File, Eurogamer, BeBee, BeBee, The Game Business