According to Insider Gaming, Guildford-based game developer Supermassive Games recently canceled an unannounced game based on the Blade Runner IP.
The game was allegedly titled Blade Runner: Time To Live. It would have been a “character-driven, cinematic, action-adventure game” set in 2065. The plan was to make a “compelling story that blends the philosophical themes of Blade Runner with kinetic action-adventure gameplay,” with an expected length between 10 and 12 hours.
Blade Runner: Time To Live started pre-production in September 2024 and was being worked on by the team that made The Quarry. Pre-production was supposed to be completed in March 2025, while prototyping was scheduled to end around six months later.
The game’s release was tentatively planned for September 2027 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Interestingly, the report also mentions a potential launch on next-generation PlayStation and Xbox platforms. However, it’s hard to imagine that Supermassive would already know so much about Sony’s and Microsoft’s plans that they would be aware of whether the new consoles will be available then.
Blade Runner: Time To Live was projected to have a budget of approximately $45 million, with $9 million set aside for external performance capture and acting talent. Original music production, image rights, usage fees for actors, QA and game testing, localization, and any future DLCs would have to be budgeted separately.
The game would feature a replicant known as So-Lange as the playable character. It would start in New Zurich, with So-Lange tasked to ‘retire’ a dangerous leader of an underground replicant network called Rev. However, So-Lange would soon be betrayed and left for dead in a hostile environment. In terms of game mechanics, the report says it would have been possible to upgrade skills and abilities.
The reasons behind the early cancellation weren’t detailed, although it is said that Blade Runner IP owner Alcon was to blame. Of course, this is just one side of a story that may never fully come to light. It’s a shame, though, as Supermassive definitely has the chops to make an interesting adventure game set in this universe.
It’s been a long time since there was any game set in this seemingly ripe setting. Thankfully, there’s still Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth, in development at Annapurna Interactive since 2022.
