A wholly independent project

Developer The Chinese Room’s (Dear Esther) last two projects wereEverybody’s Gone to Rapture, published by Sony (possiblycoming to PC soon), andAmnesia: A Machine for Pigs, a follow up toThe Dark Descent.

The next game from the developer, which we should hear about in “the next couple of weeks” is “not signed to a publisher,” allowing the studio to try out much more open development.

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What’s the kind of stuff you want to know about how we make our games? Then we’ll do our best to make that as open as we can…

— The Chinese Room (@ChineseRoom)June 29, 2025

John and Molly sitting on the park bench

The other cool thing is that we own the IP – so if you want t-shirts, special editions, vinyl, graphic novel, actual novel etc – let us know

I foundRapturepretty middling, but it’s a divisive release, which is welcomed in this industry. The Brits love the thing, too. It even won the British Writers’ Guild’s award forbest video game writing. The new game will happen without Chinese Room co-head, composer and director Jessica Curry, who left the company late last year.

Close up shot of Marissa Marcel starring in Ambrosio

Kukrushka sitting in a meadow

Lightkeeper pointing his firearm overlapped against the lighthouse background

Overseer looking over the balcony in opening cutscene of Funeralopolis

Edited image of Super Imposter looking through window in No I’m not a Human demo cutscene with thin man and FEMA inside the house

Indie game collage of Blue Prince, KARMA, and The Midnight Walk

Close up shot of Jackie in the Box

Silhouette of a man getting shot as Mick Carter stands behind cover