2025 was a monster yr for Stephen King film and TV diversifications… so the place are all of the video games?

2025 was an enormous yr for Stephen King diversifications. In film theaters this yr we had The Monkey, The Lengthy Stroll, and The Working Man, and on TV there was IT: Welcome to Derry and The Institute. That makes it the most important yr for King diversifications since 2017, which gave us The Darkish Tower, It (the film), 1922, Gerald’s Recreation, and TV sequence primarily based on each Mr. Mercedes and The Mist.

Everyone knows the previous few years have additionally seen an increase in nice co-op horror video games like Deadly Firm, REPO, Content material Warning, and Sons of the Forest—players appear to take pleasure in nothing extra nowadays than getting scared collectively.

So, like… the place are all of the Stephen King video games at? Huh? Individuals love Stephen King. Individuals love scary video games. There is definitely no scarcity of fabric to work with, to the tune of 60+ books, 200+ novellas and quick tales. Can we get occurring this already?

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I used to be really stunned to study that regardless of King having been cranking out horror fiction since 1974, there have been solely a tiny handful of video games formally primarily based on his works. There was a textual content journey for The Mist in 1985, a side-scrolling beat ’em for The Working Man in 1989, and one other journey primarily based on The Darkish Half in ’92. The Lawnmower Man, which one way or the other turned a film in 1992 additionally one way or the other turned a recreation in 1993, and a group of informal video games referred to as Stephen King’s F13 appeared for Home windows in 2000.

However that is it. Clive Barker has extra video games than King, and he is nowhere close to as prolific. Does not appear proper.

I do not know if there is a particular cause for thus few King diversifications—I did request an interview via King’s agent, although I have never heard again but and do not particularly count on to—however with a lot crossover between motion pictures and video games nowadays, it appears pure that there can be extra crossover from books to video games, too. I am not saying I need to see tons of licensed videogame dreck being churned out, however absolutely the grasp of horror is deserving of some nice videogame diversifications to go together with all these motion pictures.

As proof for the potential for Stephen King video games, this is some elevator pitches I got here up with. If somebody can get this listing to Steve, I would be completely satisfied to debate these concepts (and my modest six determine consulting charge) with him.

The Shining: A lodge administration gameManage the Overlook Lodge year-round: rent employees, handle provides and budgets, enhance, make guests completely satisfied, cope with occasional horrors in among the rooms and elevators stuffed with blood and hedge maze monsters, and ensure you carefully display your winter caretaker.

The Lengthy Stroll: A QWOP Battle RoyaleA hundred gamers begin strolling with QWOP or Child Steps-esque controls. Decelerate or fall over too many occasions, and also you get your ticket.

Battleground: An asynchronous PvP shooterOne participant is Renshaw, a normal-sized particular person, and the opposite 50 gamers are little inexperienced military males. It is conflict, the best way Toy Story ought to have been. (Primarily based on the quick story in Night time Shift.)

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The Mist: A horror extraction shooterDrop in with buddies to a city shrouded in a murky, monster-filled mist, rescue stranded residents and loot for gear, and attempt to get out once more inside half-hour. Pleasant fireplace is enabled.

Survivor Sort: A survival gameI did, in a single survival recreation, eat my very own lifeless physique after respawning in a brand new physique. However I’ve by no means eaten my physique whereas I used to be nonetheless inhabiting it. (Primarily based on the quick story in Skeleton Crew.)

Below the Dome: A metropolis builderTired of individuals transferring out of your metropolis once you do a poor job managing it? Effectively, now they can not go away. ‘Cos of the dome. Be careful for meth labs.

Quitters, Inc.: A manufacturing unit gameSet up enjoyable automated remedy facilities to assist the inhabitants give up smoking—like rooms the place they watch loved-ones get electrical shocks. (Primarily based on the quick story in Night time Shift.)

Distress: An open world motion gameThere’s an enormous, totally simulated open world, however you principally ignore it to hold round your own home to ensure your favourite writer finishes his new e-book.

Pet Sematary: A comfortable life simThink Animal Crossing however you are tending a burial floor, overseeing the resurrection of zombie pets, and ensuring your villagers do not attempt to bury actual our bodies there.

And that is simply off the highest of my head! Really, a number of of our heads: The Mist as an extraction shooter was Jake’s thought, and Wes’ got here up with the pitch for Pet Sematary.

Both means, there’s heaps to work with. Let’s get on it.