Blumhouse, the renowned producer of horror movies such as “Get Out,” “The Purge,” and “Insidious,” is branching out into the world of video games. The company has announced the launch of a new production and publishing division, Blumhouse Games, that will focus on creating original horror titles for PC, consoles, and mobile devices.
According to Abhijay Prakash, the president of Blumhouse, the company is perfectly poised to capitalize on the massive, growing gaming industry. He said, “We’re in the scary story business. We do films, we do TV, and there is this massive, growing segment in media and entertainment called gaming. The space is hundreds of billions of dollars, and we’re in a great position to try and access it.”
Blumhouse Games plans to keep the budgets modest, similar to the approach taken by the film division of the company. The games released under the Blumhouse Games banner will be developed for less than $10 million. Rather than adapting its own movies into games, Blumhouse will seek out original projects in development and offer financial support, creative input, and the Blumhouse name to the studios.
Veteran game producer Zach Wood, who has worked on titles like “Prey: Mooncrash” and “Redfall,” will lead the creative side of Blumhouse Games. Don Sechler, a former PlayStation executive who worked with indie studios, will manage the operational and financial aspects.
Blumhouse Games is not the first movie studio to expand into gaming. Disney and Lucasfilm have previously created gaming divisions, while Annapurna Interactive has enjoyed success as an indie publisher. Over the last six years, Annapurna Interactive has released titles such as “What Remains of Edith Finch,” “Florence,” “Donut County,” “Outer Wilds,” “If Found…,” “Neon White,” “Stray,” and “Sayonara Wild Hearts.” Blumhouse Games aims to follow in its footsteps and make its mark on the gaming industry.
