‘Horror games are pushing into the mainstream’

Creepy PS4 exclusive Until Dawn will help the horror genre march into the mainstream, says Sony.

Product manager Joe Palmer praised the resurrection of the horror game ahead of the release of the PS4 exclusive later this month.

The horror genre is huge in the wider entertainment industry,” Palmer told MCV.

People want to be scared and games always carry the potential to be scarier than movies or novels due to their interactive nature. Hopefully what we’re seeing is a shift towards mainstream gaming appreciation for the genre.”

Palmer added his expectation that more companies would begin to invest in scary games, after the successful horror efforts of big titles such as The Evil Within, Resident Evil HD, Alien: Isolation and Dying Light.

The recent success of titles like The Evil Within is encouraging and proves that there’s a healthy appetite for horror games,” he explained.

This gives companies more confidence to give horror games the attention they deserve.”

Developed by UK studio Supermassive Games, Until Dawn is the latest horror title to join industry staples such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill on PlayStation.

PlayStation has a rich heritage of debuting and nurturing new IP and genres,” said Palmer. Horror is very well represented with Resident Evil, Silent Hill and our own Siren.

Until Dawn represents a twist in a genre for which PlayStation fans have proven their demand.”