Ballistic Moon, the creator of the recent Until Dawn remake, has officially closed down. The public has been left without an official farewell or explanation from the leadership regarding the move. It appears that the life of this Until Dawn developer has come to an end without much fanfare.
The studio was originally viewed as a fresh start for several industry veterans who had spent years crafting cinematic scares, and Ballistic Moon was acquired by Sony in 2023. Founded in 2019, the developer was led by Duncan Kershaw, Neil McEwan, and Chris Lamb. All three had previously held major roles at Supermassive Games, the team that invented this specific style of choice-based horror. By setting out on their own, they aimed to refine the “butterfly effect” formula and prove that they could deliver high-end, terrifying experiences using the latest technology.
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The Fall of a Horror Studio
According to Insider Gaming, legal paperwork filed with the British government in early February 2026 confirms that the studio has been dissolved. While the team was full of talent, the Until Dawn remake turned out to be their last. Although the core narrative was a hit in the past, Ballistic Moon’s 2024 version rebuilt the experience in the Frostbite engine, adding new lighting effects and changing the camera system.
Unfortunately, these technical upgrades were not enough to win over everyone. The remake received lukewarm critical reception, currently sitting at an Opencritic score of 69. Critics and fans noted several significant flaws that held the experience back. Many players felt the new visuals actually stripped away the creepy atmosphere of the original by trying too hard to be realistic. Additionally, the decision to swap out the cinematic fixed-camera angles for a modern third-person view was seen by some as a mistake that ruined the claustrophobic feeling of the mountain setting.
The biggest hurdle for the game, however, may have been its price and the timing of its release. Many consumers were unwilling to pay $59.99 for a remake of a game that wasn’t even a decade old, especially since the original was still easily available for much less money. This resulted in a launch that was described as “abysmal.” According to data from True Trophies, the player count on the PlayStation 5 during its first week was somehow 28 percent lower than the launch of Concord, a shooter that was famously taken offline just two weeks after it arrived. On Steam, things weren’t much better, with Until Dawn only managing to reach a peak of 2,607 concurrent players.
As the sales failed to meet expectations, the studio began to crumble from within. The decline happened in waves, starting with a massive round of layoffs in September 2024 that saw about 40 people lose their jobs. Following the game’s release in October, another 20 employees were let go in December 2024. While there were initial talks with Sony about providing additional funding to keep the studio running and support the game with patches, those funds never materialized. By March 2025, Insider Gaming reported that insiders claimed Ballistic Moon was effectively closed down, with only the founders and perhaps a couple of other staff members still on the payroll.
The official end came with the discovery of the Final Gazette notice filed on February 3, which legally sealed the fate of the company. Because of this shutdown, there is now no one left to provide technical support or updates for the title. This also likely kills any hope for a direct sequel to Until Dawn or similar remake projects from this specific team. While the franchise did see a movie adaptation last year, directed by David F. Sandberg, which featured an entirely different story about a time loop in a remote valley, the gaming side of the series is currently in a state of uncertainty.
- Released
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October 4, 2024
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
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Ballistic Moon
- Publisher(s)
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PlayStation PC LLC