15 Games That Overcame the Odds to Become Successful

Until Dawn

Before it became a horror-centric developer, Supermassive Games was known for its work on LittleBigPlanet DLC and Killzone HD on the PS3. With Until Dawn, it took its first real foray into triple-A development, promising a narrative horror experience in line with classic slasher horror films. When first revealed in 2012, it was originally a first-person title that utilized PlayStation Move (which was already concerning enough, given the response to it).

Over time, the team shifted to PS4 and a third-person perspective, leaning more into survival horror and narrative adventure. While many changes were made, and plenty could have gone wrong, Supermassive persisted and finally released the game in August 2015 with little to no marketing from publisher Sony. It surpassed sales expectations and received a decent critical response, though opinions were mixed on the performance.

Nevertheless, it was enough for Supermassive to delve further into horror and even release its games for multiple platforms. After recently releasing The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR, it’s currently working on Directive 8020, the season 2 premiere of The Dark Pictures Anthology.