Question (an indie studio that includes industry veterans like the creative director and lead writer of BioShock 2, senior gameplay programmer of Dishonored, and lead effects artist for BioShock Infinite) has announced The Blackout Club.
The new game is a cooperative horror experience, and it’s launching across Windows PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One sometime in Q1 of next year.
Featured above, you can view the game’s announcement trailer. Here are the first screenshots and key artwork:
Here’s a rundown on the game, via Question:
Set in a small town with a monstrous secret, The Blackout Club follows a group of teens who band together after learning they’ve all been temporarily losing consciousness – waking up in strange places with no memory of what they have done. Recently, one of their closest friends vanished entirely. When none of their parents, teachers, or even the police are willing to believe them, the friends launch an investigation. Together they will discover a maze of tunnels – a hostile underworld filled with hypnotic music and populated by a clandestine group of adults – all beneath their seemingly idyllic suburbs.
To save their community and themselves, the teens will need to capture the conspiracy on camera and prove its existence to the world. Up to four players will sneak out of their homes and go on surveillance missions filled with procedurally-generated elements including variable objectives, enemy encounters, loot drops, and more. Every night will be a different adventure as the team seeks out additional clues and explores new parts of their neighborhood and its ominous underbelly. The club must trust no one as they get closer to finding out what happened to their missing friend – and the cause of their uncontrollable blackouts.
Surviving the dangers of night will require intelligence, improvisation, and skill. Sleepwalking adults that could be their neighbors or relatives now seek to drag them underground. Players must create and coordinate diversions and use other tactics to break the enemy’s vice-like grip. The last player left standing must avoid attracting the attention of an even more dangerous entity – one that pursues its prey relentlessly – one that can’t be seen with open eyes…
Player characters will be customizable with a variety of powers and equipment loadouts. Every member of the group will play a distinct role and utilize devices like drones or deployable traps to outwit their foes and gather evidence of their crimes. When the mission is complete, players will head back to the hideout, where they can level up and acquire new abilities for use on future outings.
The Blackout Club is the second title developed by Question. Their first game, The Magic Circle, is now available for Windows PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. For now, you can visit the game’s official website here.
