First glimpse emerges from Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Upcoming sci-fi story to be set between events of the original game/film and Blade Runner 2049

Westwood Interactive's 1997 Blade Runner was an ambitious game for its time and remains an enduring classic for its rich world-building and significantly branching storylines based on player decisions. Other than the recent far less impressive "Enhanced Edition" remake of the original game, however, there had been no word of a new release in the Blade Runner universe since then – until now, that is, as Annapurna Interactive has just pulled the curtain back (ever so slightly) on Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth.

Very few story details have been revealed so far, but as its date stamp suggests, Labyrinth will be set between the events of Ridley Scott's original film (set in a then-fictional-future 2019, as was the game) and the Denis Villeneuve sequel Blade Runner 2049. As detailed in the anime short film Blade Runner Black Out 2022, a damaging event known as "the Black Out" has occurred, plunging Los Angeles into darkness, followed by a global collapse. By 2033, all Replicants have been exterminated, so what's a former Replicant hunter to do? Well, if the trailer is any indication, we'll be "picking through the pieces" in "the Land of the Dead." Perhaps the "places that no longer exist" aren't so lifeless after all?

As little as we know about the story so far, we know even less about the gameplay. Will Labyrinth be a point-and-click adventure like its predecessor? We can't say for sure, but given the more cerebral, slower-paced nature of the franchise, there's a good chance there will be plenty of investigative work to be done rather than shooting first and asking questions later. There's a genre connection in its development team's pedigree as well, as the game will be published by Annapurna Interactive (Stray, Twelve Minutes, Gorogoa) and represents the debut title of the company's internal studio, led by by Chelsea Hash, lead technical artist of the highly acclaimed What Remains of Edith Finch.

Not surprisingly, there is no target release date just yet, but when finished Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth will be coming to unspecified consoles and Steam for Windows PC.