Sony Pictures has just rolled out “Until Dawn,” a movie that takes a very loose inspiration from the Supermassive Games horror adventure. The film, however, is stirring controversy for failing to acknowledge the writers behind the 2015 video game.
### Sony Skips Credit for Until Dawn Game Writers in New Film
According to Eurogamer, the original creators of the “Until Dawn” video game are conspicuously absent from the movie’s credits. Instead, the film somewhat ambiguously notes that it’s “based on the Sony game.” This oversight prompted Kim MacAskill, a former PlayStation Narrative Director, to voice their disappointment and share past experiences with the company. MacAskill also initiated a petition to give proper credit to the game’s creators, which has attracted 243 signatures so far.
“As someone previously with Sony Interactive Entertainment and PlayStation, I was once explicitly told that the IP I created would never bear my name because I was salaried—no royalties, no control, no ownership, no recognition,” MacAskill commented. They expressed frustration over perceived inconsistencies in how Sony credits different creators within the company, highlighting a disparity with treatment like that of Neil Druckmann.
Having just stepped away from “Until Dawn,” MacAskill pointed out that while the film’s director and writers received recognition, the game developers who crafted this iconic game did not. Instead, the movie generically credits the origin with “based on the Sony game.”
“Why should IP creators continue working under such conditions? Even in the often ruthless worlds of film and TV, there’s at least an acknowledgment of the importance of credit,” MacAskill added.
Larry Fessenden and Graham Reznick, the creative minds behind the original video game, recently spoke with the Hollywood Reporter regarding their lack of credit in the movie.
“I wasn’t expecting much, but I thought at least our names might pop up in the end credits,” Fessenden told Hollywood Reporter. “There’s just no courtesy in show business.”
