Developer Illfonic Releases Trailer For Their Next Slasher Adaptation, ‘Halloween: The Game’
Developers IllFonic and Gun Interactive announced their next joint endeavor into the world of asymmetrical gaming at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, last Wednesday: an adaptation of John Carpenter’s immortal 1978 slasher, Halloween. Only for IllFonic to release a trailer for it the following day on YouTube, giving fans a taste of the evil that’s coming to their homes in 2026.
In partnership with Compass International Pictures, Further Front, and John Carpenter taking his rightful cut as producer, this “immersive stealth-based horror” will take players back to the town of Haddonfield on Halloween night in 1978, the night Michael Myers came home. It will feature single and multiplayer modes, giving the option to either don the mask, and move through the shadows while wreaking bloody havoc on residents of the fictional Illinois town, or to reverse the role, and spend the entire night running from the knife-wielding Shape of Samhain.
“As Michael,” the synopsis reads (via Steam) “Players wear the mask, become the Boogeyman, and stalk innocent residents with relentless obsession. Utilizing a nightmarish array of abilities, Michael leverages shadows and stealth to satisfy his bloodthirst. This doesn’t mean Haddonfield is going down without a fight. Frightened townsfolk will call the local authorities and even fight back when threatened, incentivizing Michael to avoid detection.”
“As a Hero of Haddonfield,” it continues “It’s your job to alert the residents of Haddonfield to the impending evil and help them escape before falling victim to Michael’s unyielding pursuit. In dynamic and ever-changing 1v4 asymmetrical multiplayer matches, hero players must arm themselves with everyday household items, weapons, and knowledge to combat an unpredictable and unkillable enemy. Convincing townsfolk and contacting the police will lead to increasingly powerful and thorough neighborhood patrols.”
“To even the odds,” it concludes. “You can command and equip NPCs with weapons to outsmart or even overpower The Shape, providing precious windows for escape.”
IllFonic, who also developed Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, Predator: Hunting Grounds, and the most recent Killer Klowns From Outer Space continue making their rounds through popular 80s titles, but they show no signs of slowing down. The company’s COO Jarred Gerritzen doesn’t appear to be taking any of it for granted, and is full of more free-for-all joy than a trick-or-treater whose parents dropped them off in a rich neighborhood.
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“It’s been a real privilege to get to work on these franchises that mean so much to us,” Gerritzen told Bloody Disgusting during an interview. “and my wishlist is honestly getting a little thin at this point. From time to time, we do have to turn down IPs that don’t grab us for whatever reason but, for the most part, we’ve always had people on the team who are deeply enthusiastic about each and every license that comes out way.”
However, a lot of gamers don’t share Gerritzen’s enthusiasm. That’s because they remember the last time IllFonic teamed with Gun Interactive to develop an asymmetrical horror experience, and it was the short-lived Friday the 13th: The Game (2017). It was plagued with disconnects, mic problems, lag, glitches, and instant kill issues before finally being discontinued on December 31st of last year.
Then there’s the recently deceased Texas Chainsaw Massacre game. One redditor with a funky name simply stated that the “Game is going to be discontinued after a year or two,” over on that even funkier platform.
Whether that will be the case, or not is anybody’s guess, but watch the trailer below to judge for yourself, and don’t forget to wear your mask…
