Controversial PS5 Exclusive Horror Game That Went Viral 5 Years Ago Seems to Be Making a Comeback
One of the most controversial PlayStation 5 games, the horror game Abandoned, may be making a shocking comeback. First announced for the PlayStation 5 in 2021, Abandoned was set to be the work of a small Netherlands-based developer, Blue Box Game Studios, headed by one Hasan Kahraman. The project was expected to be a cinematic survival horror game about a man kidnapped in a forest, and it was also set to receive a playable teaser, Abandoned: Prologue, before its release.
Early on, Abandoned received a boatload of media attention, as it was speculated that the game was somehow connected to Hideo Kojima and the Silent Hill franchise, and Blue Box appeared to fan the flames of this conspiracy theory with its tweets. From there, though, the game suffered through a troubled development, with the concept changing several times, a disastrous Realtime Experience app featuring only minuscule pre-release footage, and a series of indefinite delays with no proper gameplay showcased.
Blue Box Game Studios Gives Abandoned Development Update
After months of silence, Blue Box Game Studios finally offers an update on the development of Abandoned and when fans can expect to see more.
PlayStation 5 Horror Game Abandoned, Shockingly, May Be Returning
As reported by Push Square, former Hasan Kahraman’s PlayStation Network profile has seemingly implied that Abandoned is making a comeback. On his profile, Kahraman was found to be playing a game called Abandoned: Gospels of Blood, a title not currently available on PlayStation 5. Push Square speculates that the game’s appearance on his profile may be for testing purposes, and expresses doubt that this news will lead to the game’s inevitable release.
Kahraman and Blue Box Game Studios have pulled back on social media, so neither has come forward to confirm nor deny whether the project is in active development. Blue Box’s last tweet, which denounced rumors of Hideo Kojima’s involvement in the project, came in November 2022 before the developer went radio silent. Furthermore, Blue Box’s website has not been updated since 2022, and Kahraman has not been active on Twitter in years, raising questions over whether either will return to explain this news.
Considering Abandoned’s incredibly messy development, any news or speculation regarding its proper release must be taken with the tiniest grain of salt. Blue Box’s actions back in 2021 have understandably severed a lot of trust among gamers, and the nearly four years of radio silence didn’t do any favors. The appearance of Abandoned: Gospel of Blood on Kahraman’s PSN profile may very well be for testing, and doesn’t necessarily indicate that the project is any closer to release.
Even so, it’s interesting that a proper build of Abandoned appears to exist in some form on PlayStation 5 at the moment, even if it may end up being vastly different from the game players were expecting to get in 2021. Perhaps Kahraman has been silently (no pun intended) working on the project away from the media hype and attention, and that level of commitment is commendable. Even so, if the game is truly releasing soon, Abandoned will have to be incredibly special given the long wait and heavy expectations placed on it.