We are Will Byles (Executive Creative Director) and Tom Heaton (Design Director) of Until Dawn for PS4.

If you’ve got any questions about Until Dawn, Supermassive Games, game development in general, our opinions on horror movies, or anything else, we’d love to answer them.

About Until Dawn: https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/games/until-dawn-ps4/

Proof that we’re not interlopers:

Picture: http://i.imgur.com/sEWFcsb.jpg

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperMGames/status/656855363938078720

Ask away!

EDIT: We're going to sign off now. It's been great answering your questions. Thanks for joining in.

Comments: 405 • Responses: 44  • Date: 

sheslikebutter147 karma

Are you making a sequel? I think an anthology series where the next game is completely unrelated works best!

SupermassiveGames244 karma

Without giving too much away, we are already working on our next game, and we think and hope that Until Dawn fans will love it.

TheEmptyJuiceBox53 karma

When could we see the new game? Would the first glimpse/ announcemeant be before or after e3 2016?

SupermassiveGames119 karma

We are at very early stages at the moment, so we're not even thinking about an announcement yet.

MrTravesty28 karma

Would you be able to tell us if it is being published by Sony or not?

SupermassiveGames57 karma

Nope.

Rooonaldooo9946 karma

"Nope we can't tell you that" or "Nope it's not being published by Sony"?

And don't you dare answer with "Yes"

SupermassiveGames93 karma

No, we can't tell you.

RoflDragon1321 karma

For sequel concepts have you guys considered the thought of other horror genres or cryptids? I personally would love to see an Until Dawn sequel with the sci-fi horror genre or more cryptid creatures like Skin-Walkers or the Mothman, etc.

SupermassiveGames63 karma

Obviously we're not going to go into specifics but like with Until Dawn we like our stories to tie into existing myths or real history.

Captainhankpym125 karma

Do you plan to release the death ratios of the characters? Or is there any way to know which characters survive more than the others?

SupermassiveGames136 karma

That's a good question, and no. Unfortunately we don't have that data.

ViciousMihael115 karma

I think we all know Matt dies the most, let's be honest.

SupermassiveGames86 karma

We're just doing the maths here.

SupermassiveGames114 karma

We think it might be Emily or Chris. We're counting on our fingers here, but we think it's Chris with 8 deaths.

MrTravesty117 karma

Is the rumor about an Until Dawn DLC on-rails first person shooter for PSVR titled "Rush of Blood" true? If so, are you developing it?

link: http://www.destructoid.com/rumor-new-dlc-coming-for-until-dawn-titled-rush-of-blood-316687.phtml?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

P.S. Loved Until Dawn! Great work!

SupermassiveGames107 karma

We're not able to discuss these rumours today. Sorry.

TheEmptyJuiceBox96 karma

Why wendigos? Like obviously the game was based around common horror movie stereotypes them BAM we have wendigos. How did that come up in the process and in any potential dlc/sequel will you follow the same route of common tropes to wild outlandish thing? Thanks for your work it's definitely my personal GOTY

SupermassiveGames135 karma

From the outset we wanted to subvert the slasher genre and play with different genres in the same game. The Wendigo myth fits well with the game's location. And it's the source of most shapeshifter legends.

HowieGaming71 karma

How was it to work with all the different actors and which ones where your favorite?

SupermassiveGames174 karma

It was Larry, because we went out and got drunk with him.

Tripeiro200660 karma

Was it intentional to make Emiliy so... well "bitchy"? Also do you intend to make another game but in another setting? (Not a sequel but make another game with a popular horror movie trope, say vampire castle or something like that)

SupermassiveGames113 karma

Emily's character isn't just one shade. She can be bitchy at first, but who would blame her given her situation. Her character arc is potentially one of the most interesting and heroic of the game. She is both of our favourite character.

Captainhankpym47 karma

THANK YOU! In my opinion she is the most unique and complex character in the game. I like all of them but Emily is my favourite as well. I find her really well written.

Eluith101 karma

I found Mike really interesting to be honest. Because he was such a dude-bro guy as soon as there were more than one other person present, always trying to impress either Emily, Jess or whoever was watching really. As soon as it was just Jess and him though, you could see little cracks of insecurity coming through. He wasn't AS jokey and he got surprisingly rattled by some "minor" things. It gave the "super charismatic favorite" an actual depth that catapulted him to be my favorite with a better reason than "He does funny joke"

SupermassiveGames78 karma

Glad you liked him. We set out to make strong, identifiable but flawed characters. It was really important to get players engaged and caring about them.

jlan9359 karma

How many actors did you pitch Until Dawn to who turned it down because they didn't think it would work or just weren't interested? If so, who?

SupermassiveGames100 karma

We pretty much got everyone we wanted. And they were awesome.

FireSmurf45 karma

When did you guys first come up with the idea for Until Dawn?

SupermassiveGames64 karma

It was in about 2010. We were working on something similar and Sony came to us with the basic concept for a Move title and a teen horror called Until Dawn. There was only a bare bones idea. we then developed the story and gameplay in house. And as you probably know it then transitioned over to PS4.

hypno_disc38 karma

What was the reasoning behind cancelling the original PS3 game back in 2013 and opting to reboot the game as a PS4 release?

Have you guys played any of the Quantic Dream games such as Heavy Rain or Beyond:Two Souls? If so, what do you think of them and did you draw any inspiration from them during the development of Until Dawn?

p.s. Loved the game guys, fingers crossed for a sequel.

SupermassiveGames68 karma

When we first showed it publicly there was a lot of community demand for a non-Move version. PS4 was coming over the horizon and we knew we had a great story. It seemed rude not to.

Quantic Dream have been a great vanguard for Interactive Drama and an inspiration.

RoflDragon1337 karma

Any particular reason why Josh's character can only either be dead or a Wendigo in the game's final outcome? He's one of my fav characters and I think he deserves a happy ending is all. :) Fantastic game, love it and can't stop obsessing.

SupermassiveGames126 karma

Ultimately the story is a tragedy about Josh.

Renzocooken37 karma

In Until Dawn, which character's death was the most fun to write?

SupermassiveGames77 karma

we had whole meetings devoted to gory deaths. How depressing is that? Will's favourite is Josh's bursting head. Tom's is Emily in the ore grinder.

Audioworm35 karma

Very much enjoyed Until Dawn. Played it almost completely blind, so was very impressed with what I got out of it.

My first question is about the game itself. The opening of Until Dawn tries very hard to empaphise how important your choices are, and the significance of the Butterfly Effect, but on repeat playthroughs it becomes a little obvious that a lot of the effects aren't very significant, and the game will always head down the same path no matter what actions you take. What lead to this constraint? Was it a technical issue, a practical one, or a desire to preserve a somewhat contained narrative no matter what?

Secondly, how does the Until Dawn narrative we got, compare to the original pitches. I read that the script was almost entirely rewritten at one point, but was it a completely different story originally?

Thirdly, [SPOILER] why do Mike and Sam freak out in the final chapter even if they only see a single body. It is a massive immersion breaker for me (and many people over at /r/UntilDawn).

Thanks for the game though, it was great overall.

SupermassiveGames43 karma

Great that you enjoyed the game. The thing about the branching in Until Dawn is that you can only change what your character could change at that point in the game. So there is a core narrative, which is the way things are set up on Blackwood mountain. We are really happy with the amount of branching in the narrative, every choice affects something. That said, we would like to see even more branching ourselves, because we think it really works.

sheslikebutter16 karma

So, a dead body wouldn't freak you out, only a big pile of them?

Audioworm20 karma

They say things like 'There's so many' and 'They're all dead' even though you can have only one person there, and that person is someone you don't know.

If you play on a killing playthrough they react at very specific moments to where the bodies are, but even if the bodies aren't there they will still react that way.

Another has a similar reaction using plurals over and over even if there is only one body.

SupermassiveGames55 karma

Look - it's difficult, right. :) With so many variations, it's genuinely tough to make sure you catch everything.

nanofun633 karma

I noticed that you have posters for both the innkeepers and the house of the devil in the home cinema room in the lodge. Are you guys a big fan of Ti West? Did he help at all with the making of the game?

SupermassiveGames39 karma

They are all Glass Eye Pix films which is Larry's production company.

Don-Vito31 karma

What was the team's greatest source of inspiration for Until Dawn? What would you say its roots are?

SupermassiveGames48 karma

This might sound glib, but it's every horror film ever made.

SwitchingDev29 karma

This is a very selfish question so I apologise in advance! I absolutely love Until Dawn and consider it one of the best games in recent years. I was wondering when would your studio be hiring for your next game? I've been checking the Supermassive jobs board pretty religiously over the past few months but it always seems to be empty.

SupermassiveGames49 karma

Just keep looking. The jobs will go up there when we're hiring for them. But if you want to send your CV in then just send it in. We're always on the look out for talent.

jayjay20027 karma

What happened to Wolfie? Will the second game be related to the first game?

SupermassiveGames68 karma

As with all of our characters, if you don't see him die, he's not dead.

queuethepain26 karma

[SPOILERS] Is it possible that there will be DLC where you can save Josh if wendigo Hannah doesn't kill him? I've seen a lot of great ideas for scenarios like this on tumblr and reddit. Or possibly a sequel where the (remaining) group goes back?

SupermassiveGames55 karma

We've seen them too and they're great. But we are not currently working on any DLC for Until Dawn at the moment.

viridislament26 karma

Hi guys! First of, I'd like to thank you for the great game. Visuals were nice, loved the story and enjoy the tweeks you made to the point and click formula.

I'm assuming you are working on a sequel or new game already. Will you be using and/or expanding on the "Butterfly effect" game mechanic in the future?

SupermassiveGames42 karma

We are definitely looking to build on what worked in Until Dawn, including the Butterfly Effect.

andreigarfield25 karma

how was each actor cast into their role?
what is your favorite line/dialogue from the game?
lastly, have both of you played it? how many times hahah
edit: that is a sweetass Psycho dummy behind you guys

SupermassiveGames31 karma

There's a what behind us? Aaaargh

SupermassiveGames41 karma

We used a casting director in LA and sat around a pool drinking cocktails. She did all the work.

sadambober20 karma

Were there any cool features or scenes that you wanted to make, but couldn't due to budget/schedule?

SupermassiveGames30 karma

We did pretty much everthing we planned to do. Some of the feedback that we've had has given us ideas for the future, and we've had ideas since we finished the game that we would definitely like to follow up on in our next game.

jackslate24619 karma

What is the one thing you would tell new developers who have an interest in video game design?

SupermassiveGames29 karma

Hi Jack, I'd say that it's a great time to get into game design. Nowadays there are loads of tools available to help people make games, so get busy and make something. It's a great way to develop and show off your skills. There are more platforms and genres then there have ever been.

Laura_Allitt3D18 karma

What was the inspiration behind the Art Design of Until Dawn? And how was this used to create the Environments that we see in the game?

P.S. Absolutely loved Until Dawn, fantastic work from everyone at Supermassive! Got the Platinum trophy for it last weekend =)

SupermassiveGames27 karma

Well done on the Platinum. We wanted to make this look as much like a movie possible, so rather than an art director we had a Production Designer who went through a process similar to how it would be done on a film. Because we had fixed cameras we were able to compose shots using traditional film styling.

robba917 karma

What is your favourite ending of the game?

SupermassiveGames47 karma

Will says his favourite ending is where the story is the most gruesome and violent all the way through. And only Sam survives.

chuckituck13 karma

What are some of your favorite horror movies?

SupermassiveGames26 karma

Halloween, The Exorcist, One Missed Call, The Grudge, The Haunting, Evil Dead 2.

WanderIntoWonder13 karma

Just wanted to say thanks first for making such a great game! Anyway, I have three questions. 1. Which do you prefer? Crunchy or creamy peanut butter? 2. Who's your favorite character in the game? 3. Will you make any more games in the future?

SupermassiveGames41 karma

Smooth

Emily

Yes

Little poem for you there.

bossman-CT12 karma

What are some of your favorite scenes from Until Dawn, and what would you change if you were to do a sequel?

SupermassiveGames32 karma

Tom's favourite scene is Mike deciding whether to shoot Emily (if that happens). Will's is Ashley following Jessica's voice. Actually Tom has changed his mind, it's Ashley and Chris kissing.

Danny_Scene12 karma

Ive got 2 questions!

1.What inspired you to make this game the way it is?

2.What are the characters last names? I know that Mike's is Munroe and Josh's is Washington, but what about everyone else?

SupermassiveGames26 karma

We did write a whole bunch of surnames but friends don't really use surnames with each other, so they just didn't get used.

What inspired us to make the game? We all love horror movies and we knew that if we could make decision making work then we would have the basis of a great experience. We wanted to put the player in the shoes of the slasher victims.

RoflDragon1310 karma

Larry Fessenden worked on a few other film projects involving the Wendigo creature. How big of an influence did he have on including them in the game? Did you guys hire him because of his interest in the Wendigo legend?

SupermassiveGames21 karma

It was serendipity. The Wendigos were already in the story when Larry came on board.

Aura-Chan10 karma

I have another. What's the big difference from novel writing and game story writing?

SupermassiveGames18 karma

Branching narrative is the biggest difference for us. We also have to deal with exposition and character development in a different way because you can't read their thoughts. It's more like screenplay writing.

SoWhack9 karma

Hi! Huge fan of the game and I love it so much it's inspired me to write my own horror stories! My question is how did you come to work with Larry Fessenden and Graham Reznick, and what was it like to work with them?

SupermassiveGames15 karma

Good luck with the writing. Working with Larry and Graham was awesome. We met a lot of writers and directors before we met Larry, and Larry introduced us to Graham. We'd love to work with them again.

Skuldpt7 karma

While brainstorming did you ever had a different "monster" idea or did you guys always had the intention of doing the story Wendigo related? What about the location? Was it always supposed to be in a snowy isolated mountain?

SupermassiveGames17 karma

Yes. It was always supposed to be in a snowy isolated mountain. And it was always the Wendigo.

Skuldpt8 karma

Nice! If it's not much to ask, what was the main inspiration for it? The actual legend? Or did you grab some ideas and visuals from something else?

SupermassiveGames19 karma

There are so many descriptions of the Wendigo in myth, and they are all conflicting. The main inspiration was the effects of starvation and frostbite, which is why the eyelids and lips have receded and the teeth have grown.

ThinkingOfYou754 karma

Do you guys like Ashley? How do you feel about her relationship with Emily depending on your choices?

SupermassiveGames5 karma

We love Ashley. But she's complex. So you better stay on the right side of her.

iwascuddles3 karma

What did you have for breakfast this morning?

SupermassiveGames11 karma

Will: nuts Tom: marmalade

RoflDragon133 karma

At what point did you guys decide to make the switch from the slasher genre to the more supernatural elements? Was that planned all along or decided later down the road? Absolute amazing marketing by the way, being able to hide all of that! :)

SupermassiveGames13 karma

The supernatural element was part of the narrative all along. It was always very tempting to show some of the supernatural elements, because you always want to show cool stuff. But we're glad we didn't because the twists worked really well. But if you look carefully at early trailers you will see some hints.