The new Until Dawn is more than just an upgrade, it’s a hint at a sequel
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Developer Ballistic Moon’s “rebuilt and enhanced” version of horror game Until Dawn — out this Friday — goes beyond just a visual upgrade for PlayStation 5 and Windows PC. The remastered re-release of the 2015 original also includes a little something more, in the form of a new ending that points toward a possible future for the franchise.
While the studio behind the new Until Dawn has said it did not want to alter the events of the game, instead focusing on a “cinematic update” to enhance its visuals, the remaster contains a “reworked prologue” and at least one new ending. According to leaked pre-release footage of the remastered Until Dawn, that includes a new fate for Josh, Rami Malek’s character, and an epilogue featuring Sam, played by Hayden Panettiere.
[Warning: The following contains spoilers for Until Dawn.]
Until Dawn’s branching narrative and player choices result in some characters surviving the events of the game, and some characters dying (or transforming into cannibalistic wendigos). In the original version of Until Dawn, Josh could survive the events of the game, but his ultimate fate saw him trapped underground and turning into a wendigo.
A new ending shows a different possible outcome for Josh: He’s in isolation but still human. A voiceover from Josh’s psychiatrist Dr. Alan Hill hints at redemption for the character.
Additionally, a new epilogue set “some years later” after the events of the game focuses on Sam. Now living in Los Angeles, she’s shown waking up from restless sleep. On her nightstand are medication (which implies that she’s being treated for post-traumatic stress or anxiety as a result of the events of Until Dawn) and a book titled Creature Myths of the Great Plains. It appears that Sam has been studying up on her mythological creatures. Sam also appears to be suffering from a wound of some sort, one that won’t heal — and one that looks like it might be a wendigo bite.
Until Dawn’s new ending may point to a direct sequel, and we may have some clues about who’s making it. Sony-owned Firesprite Games (Horizon: Call of the Mountain) is working on a “AAA narrative driven horror-adventure game in Unreal [Engine] 5,” according to job listings. A Firesprite employee’s resume uncovered earlier this year pointed to an “unannounced branching horror-adventure game” based on a “pre-established IP” being in development at the studio.
Ballistic Moon announced layoffs in September, saying that the studio had “significantly scaled down” its team. And original Until Dawn developer Supermassive Games has moved on from Until Dawn, but has continued to develop branching horror-adventure games like The Quarry and the upcoming Directive 8020, which is part of the studio’s Dark Pictures anthology.
A live-action Until Dawn film adaptation is currently in development. Actor Peter Stormare is set to reprise his role as Dr. Hill in the movie, which will be directed by David F. Sandberg (Annabelle: Creation, Shazam!).
