Popular horror movie production companyBlumhouseis officially entering the gaming industry. Known for renowned horror hits likeGet Out,Paranormal Activity, andM3GAN,Blumhouseannounced that it’s opening up a new gaming division under Blumhouse Games that will be home to upcoming indie titles.
The horror genre has gained some renewed interest over the past few months, most recently thanks toM3GANa movie that exceeded box office expectationsduring its opening weekend. The video game industry also saw new life in horror with releases likeTheCallisto Protocoland theDead Spaceremake along with franchises likeFive Nights at Freddy’sgetting the movie treatment. So it may not be surprising to see one of the biggest production companies in the horror genre opting to dive into the video game world.
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According to the company, the new division is set up as Blumhouse Games, and it will look at original horror games for PC, console, and mobile. The idea is to operate as a publisher where Blumhouse will work with indie developers on projects that will cost less than $10 million. The division’s creative sector will be overseen by Zach Wood, who has worked on more than 30 games, and Don Sechler, a PlayStation veteran who will run finance and operations. In a move that’s similar toAnnapurna’s expansion into games, Blumhouse expects to invest in about 15 games over the next three to four years with a $25 million budget for each slate.
Blumhouse already looked at gaming before, via a partnership with Universal Pictures, the same company that releases a majority of Blumhouse’s titles. Universal made attempts to get game studios to turn some of Blumhouse’s properties likeThe Purgeinto games, unfortunately to no avail. The Blumhouse Games announcement indicates the company is making another effort, though seemingly with a focus on original games as opposed to exclusively basing titles off its movies. With developers like Bloober Team previously stating that theyhope to become the Blumhouse of gaming, it will be interesting to see how Blumhouse itself gains ground in the industry.
As of now, Blumhouse Games is yet to announce any partners or prospective games. So it’s unclear if the likes ofM3GANwill get the video game treatment anytime soon. While it’s already the biggest horror movie producer in Hollywood,Blumhouse is currently in talks to merge with Atomic Monster, a production house headed by James Wan. Now, with the company venturing into video games, it appears the next few years will be interesting for horror fans.
