Hinterland, the creative force behind the chilling survival game The Long Dark, has provided a sneak peek into their latest endeavor—an ‘unannounced survival game’ currently undergoing development at the studio. The revealed alpha footage shares striking similarities with the iconic features of The Long Dark, sparking speculations about the possibility of a sequel, potentially titled The Long Dark 2.
Raphael van Lierop, the head of Hinterland, previously announced his departure from The Long Dark in 2022 to embark on a new project within the studio. He recently unveiled a 22-second snippet of “in-engine pre-alpha” footage on social media, accompanied by the caption, “Some good things happening in the Unannounced Survival Games space…”.
Although the video primarily showcases a slow pan across a somewhat dilapidated room, a closer inspection unveils intriguing details hinting at the nature of Hinterland’s latest venture.
A tally of “days” scrawled on a mirror and the overall makeshift disarray of the room suggest a post-disaster setting reminiscent of The Long Dark’s environmental challenges. The presence of two roaring fires and the sound of howling wind evoke memories of The Long Dark’s freezing wilderness.
While these elements strongly suggest a tease for The Long Dark 2 or a new game within the same ecologically challenged universe, certainty remains elusive until Hinterland provides more details. As of a September update from van Lierop, the studio is concurrently working on three titles.
Two of them are described as “ambitious, large-scale projects” that will shape Hinterland’s future beyond The Long Dark. The third is a “smaller project,” characterized as a “thoughtful, beautiful, linear sci-fi game” distinct from The Long Dark. Originally, the latter was slated for the first reveal, but the recent ‘survival game’ footage indicates a change in plans.
With the tenth anniversary of The Long Dark’s Steam early access launch approaching in September 2024, it seems fitting for Hinterland to delve into explicit details about their upcoming projects.
This timing aligns with the release of the long-anticipated fifth and final chapter of The Long Dark’s Wintermute story mode, along with the remaining two parts of its Tales From the Far Territory DLC, all scheduled to launch by the end of this year.
