Report via M1PST
Currently, PlayStation Studios has a large number of unannounced projects in the works, one of them being a single-player narrative horror project developed by the studio Firesprite, which was acquired by Sony in 2021.
Although we know little to nothing about this game officially, over the years rumors and leaks have emerged around this project, such as an internal document that would reveal the game’s codename being “Heartbreak”, and statements from insider Colin Moriarty, who claimed in a podcast that the game could be set on an island and have a female protagonist.
Now we will talk about some discoveries related to the game’s release platforms, the specific genre, and the possibility of resurrection of an old PlayStation franchise.
The first discovery comes from the website of Firesprite’s Game Designer, Emily Stell, who lists the project as “Narrative Horror Title”, with the platforms being PS5 and PC. PlayStation porting their exclusive games to PC has become an increasingly common practice, and it is not strange to think that Firesprite’s next game will not be an exception, but seeing PC already listed as a platform makes us think about the possibility of a simultaneous release on PS5 and PC, something more characteristic of multiplayer games like Concord or Helldivers 2. Whether this is the case or not, it lets us know that a PC release is already planned.
One speculation that has been circulating about this game is the possibility that it’s not a new IP, but an existing one, an idea that has been fueled in the past by reputable insider Jason Schreier, hinting on Reddit that it wouldn’t be new. All of this gains strength thanks to another discovery made in the resume of writer Ren Alex-Rose, who worked for Firesprite from 2022 until April of this year. In her resume she mentions having worked designing characters and plot lines “within pre-established IP”, confirming long-held suspicions.
Now, which horror IP could she be referring to? We can’t answer this question without first linking all of this to one more thing.
This discovery takes us to an unusual place, to the Pinterest profile of the Environment Artist Andréas Houin, who currently works at Firesprite. In his pins section we can see different types of illustrations, ranging from Architecture to Sci-Fi, and the part that concerns us, illustrations of cosmic horror. Could this be the type of horror that the game will use? We can only speculate, as they could be just for drawing references not related to the project.
The Revival of a Dormant Saga?
In more than one place, the project is referred to as a game with a “branching narrative”, which makes us think that the game could be related to Until Dawn, but if we talk about cosmic horror, another PlayStation franchise comes to mind that leans more towards that genre and has not received a new installment for more than 16 years, we are talking about the Siren franchise, created by the now-defunct Japan Studio. This survival horror IP had 3 titles released between 2003 and 2008, but would be set aside after the last title failed to meet expectations. Both the first and second titles make use of fantastic and terrifying creatures in their stories, with the second title making greater emphasis on this aspect and which, curiously, is set on an island.
It will probably still be some time before this game gets officially revealed, but these details help us shorten the wait. When we know more details, we will keep you informed.
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