Following its big Summer Game Fest unveiling earlier this year, Until Dawn 2 has been given a release date as part of Sony’s latest State of Play showcase. And it’s surprisingly soon, launching for PS5 in the suitably dark depths of winter: arriving 28th January next year.
There’s still quite a lot we don’t know about Until Dawn 2, but some big changes are evidently afoot. For starters, the snow-covered alpine resort setting of the first game, is making way for sun-kissed tropical climes, where a successful crew of TV ghosthunters is about to embark on its latest assignment.
“After an investigation at Blackwood Sanitorium takes a chilling turn,” Sony explains in its release date announcement, “an encounter with supernatural survivor Yoona leads them to Akishima Island, a remote paradise abandoned for decades and hiding secrets far older than any of them imagined.”
New characters does, of course, mean a new cast – but, notably, one familiar face is returning: Peter Stormare, who played Until Dawn 1’s memorably unhinged psychiatrist Dr. Hill, is back and will presumably be fulfilling a similar role. Quite how that’ll work in story terms, however – given some of the things we learn in the original game – Sony hasn’t yet said.
Until Dawn 2 – which follows 2024’s Until Dawn 1 remake – is being developed by Sony’s Liverpool-based Firesprite Games, rather than original studio Supermassive. Interestingly, however, it’s now been confirmde that AdHoc Studio – the team behind last year’s superb Dispatch – is involved in a narrative capacity. “So you can expect a deeply layered story packed with rich characters, razor-sharp dialogue, fraught relationships, tough decisions,” Firesprite creative director Stu Tilley writes on the PlayStation Blog. “And yes… more than a few gruesome deaths. Every choice, every interaction can ripple with dramatic consequences.
Alongside the standard edition of Until Dawn 2, Sony has also unveiled a Deluxe Digital Edition which adds the Y2K Neon Vibes Pack featuring new outfits for each of the core cast, plus the Diorama of Death. “Relive every grisly demise with vignettes exploring unique angles of each fatal outcome,” explains Sony. “Can you unlock every scene?”. And if you choose to pre-order starting 10th September, there are also some Dr. Hill-themed bits to be gained: the Until Dawn classic outfit, the Akishima Island holiday outfit, and some Dr. Hill collector’s bobbleheads to discover in-game.
Speaking of which, Eurogamer celebrated the original Until Dawn’s 10th anniversary last year by chatting down with the game’s creator Will Byles about its enormously eventful development. We talked about the challenges the studio faced, the lengths it went to to break new ground, and how Sony reportedly attempted to bury the game on release. It’s a fascinating story and well worth a read!
