By Jacob Miller | Mar 10, 2026
A Studio Built By Horror VeteransBallistic Moon was founded in 2019 by industry veterans Duncan Kershaw, Neil McEwan and Chris Lamb. The three gentlemen were all players at Supermassive Games, which created the original version of Until Dawn and helped to popularise the choice-based/choices make the horror genre via cinematic presentation.
The studio originally sought to continue the tradition of Supermassive's style through modernisation and development of narrative driven horror atris which had majorly differing endings based on player choices. After being acquired by Sony in 2023, Ballistic Moon was seen as a strong addition to the PlayStation ecosystem and thus gained momentum during 2023.
Mixed Responses To Remake
The main project at Ballistic Moon was the remake of Until Dawn which was released in 2024, and the remake was essentially a new version of an older title developed through the Frostbite engine with specific improvements made to lighting systems and a new camera perspective.
Although the remake has received mixed reviews from both critics and players alike, it is an example of where the creative direction of a project fails.Many gamers who played the remake said they felt that some of the spookiness of the original game was removed by its new visual effects. The decision to change the original fixed camera to a contemporary third-person perspective also received negative responses from many, who argued it took away from the original's feel of confinement and coldness that was particular to the snow-covered mountain.
The remake has a mediocre score on OpenCritic, which echoes the mixed reception obtained by it.
Employment troubles & layoffs
Pricing and timing also factored into the struggles of the remake project as the game was launched at a price tag of $59.99, which many users thought was too expensive for an older title that had already been out for under a decade and had an available remastered version at a lesser price.
Reportedly, the launch of the remake resulted in low numbers when compared to projected amounts. According to statistics by True Trophies, the number of users on the PlayStation 5 playing the remake on its opening week was far less than Concord, which later became famous for having a very short online operation period.
After launching and later seeing a lack of success, there were numerous layoffs and staff cuts and upwards of forty employees lost their jobs between September 2024 and December 2024.
The final closure
In early 2025, reports indicated that Ballistic Moon had essentially shut down its business operations, and the remaining founders made it official by applying for Final Gazette Status through the UK government in February 2026.
At this time, there is not a single team member left to continue on-going support through updates for the remake. Six years later, no one can provide updates about the gaming part of the Until Dawn franchise.
Last year, the Until Dawn franchise had expanded from games into motion pictures with the release of an adaptation directed by David F. Sandberg. There is still no information as to whether successful sequel films will occur or if there will be additional remake projects, including those related to the Until Dawn game franchise.
