Blade Runner Video Game Project Canceled Before Official Announcement

A Blade Runner video game that was being developed by Supermassive Games has been canceled before it was ever officially announced to the public. The game, titled "Blade Runner: Time To Live," would have been a story-driven action adventure game "set in the year 2065."

According to Insider Gaming, the project was planned as a 10-12 hour single-player experience where players would control So-Lange, a vintage Nexus-6 replicant who had mysteriously survived beyond their expected lifespan. Players would have been the only Blade Runner in a futuristic New Zurich, tasked with tracking down Rev, the leader of an underground replicant network.

The game had started pre-production in September 2024, with many team members coming from Supermassive's previous title "The Quarry." Developers had planned to complete pre-production by March 2025 and finish prototyping by September 2025. The full release was scheduled for September 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and what the documents referred to as "Gen 10" Xbox and PlayStation systems - suggesting next-generation consoles might be on the horizon.

The budget for the project was substantial, with approximately $45 million allocated for development. Of this amount, $9 million was earmarked for performance capture and acting talent. However, the budget didn't include costs for original music production, image rights, quality assurance testing, or localization.

The game would have featured four main gameplay elements: stealth, combat, exploration and investigation, and character interactions. Players would have been able to upgrade their skills and abilities while using memories and technology to solve mysteries throughout the story.

Despite claiming to be "rather impressive", the game was reportedly canceled late last year due to issues with Alcon Entertainment, which owns the rights to the Blade Runner franchise. The specific reasons for the cancellation, however, weren't disclosed.

This would have been the fourth video game based on the Blade Runner franchise. Previous games include a shoot-em-up from 1985, a point-and-click adventure from 1997, and a VR title called "Revelations" released in 2018. Another game called "Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth" was announced by Annapurna Interactive, but its status is unclear following the developer's internal problems in late 2024.

The Blade Runner franchise continues to expand in other areas, with Prime Video developing a TV series starring Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer.

Meanwhile, Supermassive Games is still working on other projects, including "Little Nightmares 3" and "Directive 8020," both expected to launch sometime this year.