Blumhouse has been one of the biggest names in the horror genre for almost fifteen years, with their projects including Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Sinister, The Purge, Happy Death Day, The Invisible Man, The Black Phone, M3GAN, Sick, the recent Halloween sequel trilogy, and much more. And now Blumhouse is looking to expand into the realm of horror video games as well, launching a new subsidiary called Blumhouse Games! Venture Beat reports that Blumhouse Games will be headed up by president Zach Wood and CFO Don Sechler.
Blumhouse Games will partner with independent game developers to bring their creative visions 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 $10 million) to enable innovation and push creative boundaries.
Zach Wood has been a video game producer for over 25 years and has brought more than 30 games to major platforms like Game Boy, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X. (Sound Shapes, Hohokum, The Unfinished Swan, Bound, Prey: Mooncrash, Redfall, and more.) He had this to say about the Blumhouse Games endeavor: “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.“
Sechler previously headed finance, operations, and strategy for Sony PlayStation’s publisher and developer relations function. As Venture Beat expains, “he helped to structure and execute business development deals for the development, marketing, and distribution of games ranging from the largest IP in video games to first-time developers. Upon joining the team in 2013, he was a key team member reforming the culture of PlayStation’s relationship with third-party game creators, culminating in the investment of over $150 million in indie game content, generating significant returns for creators. He also created the team that advises game makers on industry best practices that help optimize the engagement and monetization of their content.”
Blumhouse president Abhijay Prakash provided the following statement: “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.“
It will be interesting to see what sort of games Blumhouse Games is going to end up bringing into the world. Are you glad to hear that Blumhouse is branching out into the video game world? Share your thoughts on this news by leaving a comment below.