According to a press release we just received here at FANGORIA HQ, Blumhouse is now in the video game business: the company has just announced Blumhouse Games, a new subsidiary that will be overseen by newly-installed industry vets Zach Wood (as President of Blumhouse Games) and Don Sechler (as Blumhouse Games’ CFO), and it sounds like they’re ready to get their hands dirty.
Says the press release:
“Blumhouse, the multimedia company, is launching a new subsidiary to produce and publish video games. The company has appointed Zach Wood as President and Don Sechler as CFO of the new venture.
Blumhouse Games will partner with independent game developers to bring their creative vision to life via original, horror-themed games for console, PC and mobile audiences. In the spirit of its film business, Blumhouse Games will target indie-budget games (below $10M) to enable innovation and pushing creative boundaries.”
Adds Blumhouse President Abhijay Prakash:
“For some time we have been looking to build out a team to start accessing the growth opportunity in interactive media. When we sat with Zach and Don they articulated an approach that resonated with Blumhouse’s model and we knew it was a perfect place for us to start our push into the interactive space. With their experience, sensibility and knowledge of the gaming marketplace Zach and Don are the ideal leaders to leverage Blumhouse’s unique genre strengths into gaming.”
Wood (who, it’s worth pointing out, has shipped over 30 games on every major platform, including The Unfinished Swan and Bound for Sony Santa Monica/Playstation and both Prey and Redfall for Arkane/Bethesda) says:
“Through my time in the industry, I’ve had the good fortune of working closely with developers to bring their ideas to life. 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.”
The press release goes on to remind us that Blumhouse is on the verge of merging its talents with those of James Wan’s Atomic Monster, and that breaking ground on Blumhouse Games “will provide the combined company an exciting new area for creative collaboration.” Make of that what you will. Our pitch? A straight-up Smash Bros. rip-off featuring nothing but Blumhouse horror icons; just imagine clobbering M3GAN as Gabriel from Malignant.
This is an exciting development for everyone at Blumhouse, of course, but it’s also an exciting development for horror fans. Horror games are not hard to come by these days, but from where we’re standing there could always be more horror games … especially the type that might be getting made on the indie budgets Blumhouse is kicking around in the press release above. Consider us hyped!
Nothing further to report on Blumhouse Games at this time, but rest assured that we’ll be monitoring the situation closely, and will relay further news and updates to you just as soon as they land on our radar. Stay tuned.
