Baldur’s Gate 3’s Hero Could Be Until Dawn 2’s Surprise Villain

The June 2, 2026 announcement officially marks the franchise’s comeback after more than a decade of waiting. Until Dawn 2 is set to launch in 2027 as a PS5 exclusive, with development entirely handled by Firesprite, Sony‘s Liverpool-based first-party studio. The title is being pitched as a standalone experience with an all-new cast and setting, while staying true to the series’ DNA built around morally loaded choices and their fatal consequences.

This studio switch marks a major shift for the franchise. Firesprite had previously made its name on Horizon Call of the Mountain in virtual reality and on The Persistence series, but had never led a AAA narrative project of this scale. Supermassive Games, the original creator of the first Until Dawn back in 2015 and now busy with its own The Dark Pictures anthology, finds itself sidelined for this sequel. The pressure will be steep on the Liverpool studio, which inherits a cult franchise with a demanding fanbase.

The pitch departs radically from the first game’s setup. Players will step into the shoes of the Dead True crew, a popular paranormal channel whose investigations are entirely staged by its members for clicks and views. After landing a juicy deal with a major TV network, the group of fake ghost hunters boards for their first fully funded episode, heading straight to Akashima Island, an abandoned tropical island rumored to be haunted.

The setting also marks a clean break from the first installment. Gone is the snowy mountain and the isolated cabin of Blackwood Mountain, replaced by beaches, jungles and derelict buildings of a paradise island sitting on centuries-old secrets. No Wendigo, the iconic creature of the first Until Dawn, makes an appearance in the reveal trailer. The only antagonists shown on screen are masked killers wielding machetes who coldly dismember one of the victims. Continuity with the original universe is still preserved through the brief return of Dr Alan J. Hill, the enigmatic psychiatrist from the first game.

The butterfly effect, the franchise’s signature mechanic, makes its grand return with a bold promise from the studio. Every player decision, no matter how minor, can cascade into unexpected consequences on the story and decide who survives until dawn. The official tagline « everyone can live, everyone can die » is confirmed, guaranteeing that all eleven announced characters can meet their end depending on the player’s choices.

Firesprite is teasing a genuine new twist for this sequel. Interpersonal relationships within the Dead True crew become a core gameplay mechanic, able to open or lock entire narrative branches. Internal tensions among the group of influencers will weigh on the narrative dynamic, with some decisions only becoming available depending on where character relationships stand at the moment of a choice. The studio has promised to share more details on these mechanics in the coming months.

The casting stands out for its sheer quality. Neil Newbon, the British actor who took home Best Performance at The Game Awards 2023 for his iconic turn as Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3, makes his entrance into the Until Dawn universe as Sebastian. He is joined by Dacre Montgomery, best known for his role as Billy Hargrove in Stranger Things, alongside the highly anticipated return of Peter Stormare, whose performance as Dr Hill left a lasting mark on fans of the first game.

Sebastian‘s appearance in the trailer has the community talking. The character enters the scene with a spectacular belly flop into the pool, triggering the line « Who’s the buff idiot? » from the other protagonists. His shady demeanor, his central role in the sequence and his standout look that departs from the young influencers of Dead True have quickly fueled speculation about his true role. The total absence of Wendigos in the trailer also reinforces this hypothesis, since the game seems to be handing the main antagonist role to a human threat rather than a mythological creature. Firesprite has not officially confirmed the exact nature of Sebastian‘s role, which remains, according to ingamenews, « shrouded in mystery » and stands as one of the biggest cliffhangers of this reveal.