Brighton, UK-based game development studio The Chinese Room has announced a new horror video game, called Still Wakes the Deep, which takes place on an oil rig off the coast of Scotland.
“December 1975: Disaster strikes the Beira D oil rig off the coast of Scotland,” said a release statement for the game posted on the company’s website last weekend.
“Nail through the collapsing platform to save your crew from an otherworldly horror at the edge of all logic and reality,” he added.
A trailer for the game posted on the company’s Twitter account opens with a zoom of a lonely platform, shrouded in fog. The trailer builds in intensity, showing, in first-person perspective, a walk through dimly lit corridors and control rooms before jumping into a drop from a heliport and culminating in a sprint from what appears to be some kind of monster .
December 1975. The disaster affects the Beira D oil rig off the Scottish coast. Something has come aboard…
Our next title SULL WAKES THE DEEP on PC and consoles in early 2024. @SWTD_Game #SWTDGame
Wishlist now: https://t.co/z42NTpHfqQ pic.twitter.com/idmoeuIkKi
— The Chinese Room (@ChineseRoom) June 11, 2023
The game will come to PC and consoles in early 2024, according to the release statement posted on The Chinese Room’s site, though no specific release date has been announced.
A post on the game’s Twitter account on June 13 showed a screenshot of rig workers in Beira D having lunch.
“Story of a screenshot: It starts as a normal day in Beira D,” noted a statement accompanying the image.
“The workers eat and talk. It was also important to get the menu right for the time, more on that in the future. We wanted to show authentic and quiet moments on the platform. Before the storm,” the statement added.
Story of a Screenshot –
It starts like a normal day at Beira D. The workers have lunch and talk. It was also important to get the menu right for the time, more on that in the future. We wanted to show authentic and quiet moments on the platform. Before the storm #SWTD_Game pic.twitter.com/dJY2hRT74r— SILL WAKES THE DEEP (@SWTD_Game) June 13, 2023
Another post on the game’s Twitter account on June 12 said, “In the coming months, we’ll be sharing here a tapestry of references and inspirations that we looked at while building our game, as well as development information.”
“It’s a very special project and your amazing reactions make us feel very understood, thank you,” he added.
Following this post, the game’s Twitter account retweeted photos of various elements, including Soviet-era and modern control rooms and power stations, photos of Bolton, UK in the 1970s, and moving images of the film Don’t Look Now, a horror film from 1973. film directed by Nicolas Roeg.
The Chinese Room has been nominated for and won most of the prestigious gaming awards around the world for its work, including BAFTA, Apple Design, DICE, GDC Choice and Develop, the company’s website shows. The company notes on its site that, since 2012, it has built a reputation for innovative first-person games.
The Chinese Room’s titles include Dear Esther, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, So Let Us Melt and most recently Little Orpheus.
Still Wakes the Deep marks the media world’s latest foray into platform-based mystery, with Amazon’s original series The Rig launching in January.
The Amazon Studios website describes The Rig as “a character-driven mystery thriller that follows the crew of the Kinloch Bravo oil rig as they fight for survival after a strange fog cuts off all communication with the coast and leaves them stranded in the fierce waves of the North Sea”.
The Amazon series has an IMDB rating of 5.8/10 based on 11,000 reviews. The first two episodes of the six-part first season had the highest ratings on IMDB, with 6.8/10 each.
Earlier this year, the Amazon Studios website revealed that The Rig had been renewed for a second season. Several cast members will return for the second series, including Iain Glen and Martin Compston, and Emily Hampshire, according to a statement posted to the site, which revealed that “new faces” will also be joining the show.
To contact the author, please send an email andreas.exarcheas@rigzone.com
