Last October, Ballistic Moon released their remake of Until Dawn for the PS5, aiming to bring new life to the much-loved PS4 horror classic by Supermassive Games with enhanced graphics and gameplay. However, the endeavor fell flat due to numerous issues, and the game’s return was lackluster at best. Now, word has it that the studio is “effectively closed.”
In light of recent findings from Insider Gaming, it has been reported that around 40 employees were dismissed last September. Those who stayed on tried to manage and support the game post-release in October, but their efforts couldn’t prevent the studio from letting go of nearly 20 more employees come December. The remaining team seems to consist mainly of the founders and a scarce few support staff. What’s more, the departments responsible for public relations, marketing, and development have no personnel at the moment.
A source revealed to Insider Gaming, “Players are reporting bugs to make the team aware, but currently, there’s nobody handling patch support.” They added, “The studio has essentially shut down now.”
It appears the leadership at Ballistic Moon attempted to secure funding and pitch new projects. Unfortunately, these efforts didn’t bear fruit. Despite the studio’s struggles, many former employees reportedly viewed it as a reasonable place to work, though some did experience unpaid overtime, with one individual claiming they didn’t receive payment for “weeks” of work.
Currently, there’s still no confirmation on whether Ballistic Moon plans to shut down for good.
In other related news, a trailer for Sony Pictures Entertainment’s film adaptation of Until Dawn surfaced this January. While it shares a title with the game, the trailer doesn’t seem to depict any of the events from the 2015 version. Directed by David F. Sandberg, the movie stars Ella Rubin, Odessa A’zion, and Michael Cimino and is set to hit theaters on April 25.
