Blumhouse Games, a division of horror-focused production company Blumhouse focused on mobile, PC, and console games, has appointed horror expert, games industry contributor, and podcast host Louise Blain to the role of creative lead.
Blain has a solid background in journalism, with twelve years of experience in magazines, online content, and podcasts, and previously hosted the regular BBC radio program Sound of Gaming. In her new role, Blain will work with partners to help bring their creative visions to life with a strong focus on narrative and world building. The company hopes that Blain’s expertise in the horror genre will help to identify and vet potential partners and game ideas.
“Louise brings an encyclopedic knowledge of horror across all media, particularly in video games,” said Blumhouse Games president Zach Wood. “Her creative lens and prior experience in the genre perfectly aligns with our goal of delivering unique and creative horror game experiences to our audience.”
Big screams on small screens
Blumhouse established its gaming subsidiary in February of this year, assigning Woods as president and Don Sechler to the role of CFO. With over 150 movies and TV series achieving combined worldwide theatrical grosses of $5.7 billion, including critically acclaimed films and franchises such as Get Out, The Black Phone, and M3GAN, it’s clear that the company knows the intricacies of the horror genre. In the spirit of its film business, Blumhouse Games targets games with a budget of below $10 million, helping to enable innovation and push creative boundaries.
The company has a proven track record of turning massive profits from films with small budgets. The company produced Paranormal Activity in 2007 for less than $250,000, and the film went on to gross over $194 million during its theatrical run. With horror’s low production costs and wide fanbase making it an attractive genre for filmmakers, it seems that Blumhouse is hoping to translate its established success into the world of gaming.
“As a big fan of Blumhouse horror in all its forms, I’m thrilled to be joining the games division. I’m really looking forward to working with our development partners to deliver even more frights,” said Blain.
We’ve previously written about the unrealised potential of the horror genre in mobile gaming.
