Sony Hands Until Dawn Sequel to Firesprite: Jungle Setting and ‘Content Creator’ Twist Revealed
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A New Direction for a Cult Classic
Sony is bringing the cinematic horror of Until Dawn back to the forefront, but this time the franchise is moving away from the snowy isolation of Blackwood Mountain. A sequel is officially in development at Firesprite, the Liverpool-based studio, with a targeted release window for PlayStation 5 in 2027.
While the original 2015 title relied on the claustrophobia of a winter storm, the sequel pivots to a tropical island setting—a move that evokes the ‘jungle horror’ tropes of films like The Descent or the early acts of Cabin in the Woods. The core loop remains the same: a high-stakes survival simulation where player choice determines who lives and who dies, but the context of the horror has been modernized.
From Teenagers to Content Creators
The narrative shift focuses on a group of young-adult ghost hunters who run a fledgling paranormal investigation channel. In a meta-commentary on today’s digital culture, the plot centers on the group signing a deal with a major TV network, which sends them to a remote island to produce content. The tension isn’t just coming from the external threats—namely a masked murderer armed with a machete—but from the internal pressures of fame and professional obligation.
The gameplay promises to lean harder into the ‘Butterfly Effect’ system that made the first game a standout. Beyond the binary life-or-death decisions, Firesprite is introducing nuanced social mechanics. Decisions now include managing scandalous affairs within the group or pushing teammates to their breaking point to satisfy an intimidating boss’s demands for “viral” footage.
“This time, how you manage relationships within the crew matters more than ever,” Firesprite stated, noting that small character moments can trigger cascading consequences that fundamentally alter the story’s trajectory.
The horror elements remain visceral. The trailer showcases the series’ signature quick-time events (QTEs) and high-fidelity gore, suggesting that the PS5’s hardware will be used to push the visual brutality and atmospheric tension beyond what was possible in the PS4 era.
The Corporate Shift: From Supermassive to Firesprite
The change in developers is the most significant industry signal here. Until Dawn was originally the brainchild of Supermassive Games, who later created spiritual successors like The Quarry and The Dark Pictures Anthology. However, Sony has always held the IP rights to the Until Dawn brand, which explains why Supermassive’s later hits were essentially clones of the original’s DNA without using the name.
The transition to Firesprite follows a period of instability for Supermassive Games. In early 2024, the studio saw its co-founders depart and a significant portion of its workforce laid off. Conversely, Firesprite—composed of veterans from the legendary Studio Liverpool (the creators of Wipeout)—has become a key internal pillar for Sony after its full acquisition in 2021.
By consolidating the development under a first-party studio, Sony appears to be treating Until Dawn as a cornerstone franchise, aligning the game’s release with a broader multimedia strategy that includes a 2025 film adaptation and a recent remake of the original title. This move mirrors the strategy used for The Last of Us, transforming a successful game into a cross-platform IP ecosystem.
With a 2027 release date, Sony is playing the long game, ensuring that the jump in fidelity and narrative complexity justifies the long wait since the original’s debut nearly a decade ago.
