I can tell you that the a video game adaptation of the Justin Long-starring horror movie Barbarian was pretty low on my list of potential horror news stories in 2023, nonexistent even, but here we are. There will be a video game based on Zach Cregger‘s 2022 horror movie.
Brutal Deluxe
Bloody Disgusting broke the exclusive news today that New Regency Pictures and Diversion3 Entertainment are creating a game based on the world of Barbarian for PC and consoles.
Diversion3 has some horror movie-to-game experience, having helped in the creation of games such as Friday the 13th: The Game and Evil Dead: The Game, so it’s a pretty solid pick to make a Barbarian game.
The movie’s plot sees a young woman (Georgina Campbell) arrive at her Airbnb late at night only to find that it has been mistakenly double-booked and a strange man (Bill Skarsgård) is already staying there. Against her better judgment, she decides to stay the night anyway but soon discovers that there is much more to be afraid of in the house than the other house guest.
Its potential as a horror game isn’t immediately obvious, but the latter half of Barbarian offers some familiar locales for dread-inducing gameplay opportunities. In the statement announcing the project, Yariv Milchan, Chairman and CEO of New Regency Pictures, said, “Expanding the Barbarian universe into gaming provides a new way to capture the horror that made the film such a success. We’re thrilled to collaborate with the incredibly talented team at Diversion3 Entertainment to immerse new and existing fans in this world.”
So that suggests a new story in that world rather than replicating the movie’s structure—no digital Justin Long shenanigans then, sadly (well, maybe).
The Barbarian video game currently has no release date.
