Horror movie production Blumhouse, now has a gaming division

Over the past two decades, it is responsible for the production of such well-known horror films as Paranormal Activity, Insidious or The Purge, film, and television production company Blumhouse, founded by Jason Blum, has officially confirmed its intention to break into the electronic entertainment market. Through the new subsidiary division Blumhouse Games, the studio articulates its intention to “partner with independent developers to bring its perception of original horror-themed video games to life.” 

This new division will be focused on games for console, PC, and mobile audiences, the company says. Essentially, Blumhouse will be acting as a publisher of sorts, working with indie developers on projects with budgets “below $10 million.” 

A unique opportunity for horror in the indie game space 

This far from simple goal has been entrusted to the division’s new CEO, Zach Wood, who in the past has been active on games such as 2012’s ‘Twisted Metal’ and 2014’s ‘Hohokum’, both for PlayStation platforms. Also joining the team as a defining figure is Don Sechler, who has worked as global vice president of business operations, planning and strategy at Sony for a period of nine years. 

“There’s a unique opportunity for horror and genre in the indie game space, and I’m thrilled about teaming up with Blumhouse to meaningfully leverage the company’s brand, reputation, and creative talent,” Zach Wood said in a statement. 

So far, the new division has not revealed any details about the first projects in the pipeline or specific partners, but they have not failed to emphasize that the horror genre is their main area of interest. In a press release, Wood states that Blumhouse Games represents a “unique opportunity to explore the horror genre in an independent space”. 

So, we will have to wait a little longer for news of any game about an iconic horror movie by Blumhouse. 

Video games of its greatest hits 

Blumhouse president Abhijay Prakash says, “We have been looking for a long time to build a team to access the growth opportunity that interactive media offers. When we sat down with Zach and Don, they articulated a point of view that resonated with the Blumhouse model, and we knew it was a perfect place to begin exploiting the interactive space.” 

The company and new division will also focus on creating completely original intellectual properties. However, this does not mean that the studio’s greatest hits cannot be adapted at some point. In addition to betting on several successful films, the production company also has an extensive catalog of series, many of which combine elements of horror and drama. 

Enormous profitability 

One of the keys to Blumhouse Productions’ success has been the enormous profitability of its films. Paranormal Activity, released in 2009, had a budget of just $15,000 and grossed more than $107 million in the United States and $200 million worldwide, as well as starting a saga with several sequels. 

We could say, the project sounds like Annapurna’s expansion into games, with Annapurna Interactive publishing hit indie titles like Sayonara Wild Hearts, Neon White, Wattam, Kentucky Route Zero, and Stray, among others.