Until Dawn 2 Co-Developed by Dispatch Studio AdHoc, Firesprite Confirms

When Sony announced Until Dawn 2 at its June 2026 State of Play, the first surprise was the studio: Firesprite, not Supermassive Games, would lead the sequel to the beloved 2015 horror classic. The second surprise, revealed three months later, is arguably bigger. The award-winning indie team behind Dispatch, a sharp-witted workplace comedy about superheroes, has been quietly shaping the game's branching narrative all along.

The news arrived via a September 3, 2026 PlayStation Blog post from Firesprite's Stu Tilley, which confirmed that AdHoc Studio co-developed the sequel and "helped craft the story." The same post locked the game's release date to January 28, 2027, on PS5.

The Unexpected Partnership

AdHoc Studio is not the name most players would expect to see attached to a PlayStation first-party horror title. The Los Angeles-based developer, founded by former Telltale Games staffers, earned critical acclaim for Dispatch, a choice-driven superhero workplace comedy that received an IGN 9/10 Editors' Choice score. The studio's tagline, "We make unforgettable stories. You finish them," speaks directly to the kind of interactive narrative design that made Telltale a household name in the 2010s.

According to Tilley, the collaboration was never meant to be a token gesture. "AdHoc brought a level of narrative craft that elevated our story in ways we couldn't have achieved alone," he wrote. "Together, we've built a game where every choice carries weight." AdHoc's involvement went deep into the game's structure, helping to craft a story where decisions have genuine consequence. The promise of "tougher choices" that meaningfully impact the branching narrative suggests Sony is treating the sequel's decision systems as a centerpiece rather than window dressing.

The pairing makes strategic sense on paper. Firesprite brings first-party production muscle and technical pedigree, while AdHoc supplies the kind of character-driven writing and dialogue sharpness that elevates choice-based games from mechanical exercises into memorable experiences. It is a collaboration that could define how Sony approaches narrative-heavy titles moving forward.

What We Know About Until Dawn 2

Until Dawn 2 was formally revealed during the June 2026 PlayStation State of Play, with a release trailer that gave players their first look at the game's premise. The sequel is a standalone story featuring a new cast: a group of ghost hunters who travel to a remote island in pursuit of viral fame. The setup trades the original's snowy mountain lodge for an isolated setting that promises its own brand of dread.

This is not a direct continuation of the 2015 original. Players expecting to reunite with characters from the first game will not find them here. Instead, Sony is positioning Until Dawn 2 as a numbered sequel that carries forward the spirit of the original while forging its own identity. The framing mirrors how anthology horror films operate: familiar in tone, fresh in execution.

Firesprite, the Liverpool-based studio Sony acquired in 2021, leads development. The studio previously delivered The Persistence and Horizon Call of the Mountain, and its handling of a horror property marks a notable expansion of its portfolio. Taking over from Supermassive Games, which went on to build the Dark Pictures Anthology on the foundation Until Dawn established, is no small task. The original remains a touchstone of choice-driven horror, and expectations for the sequel are high.

Why AdHoc's Involvement Matters

AdHoc's pedigree in narrative design is difficult to overstate. The studio's founders cut their teeth at Telltale Games, the company that defined the modern episodic adventure genre with The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us. That background gives AdHoc an intuitive understanding of how players engage with branching stories, where the gap between a well-crafted choice and a hollow binary decision can mean the difference between a memorable scene and a forgettable one.

Dispatch demonstrated that expertise in practice. The game's dialogue choices were widely praised for their nuance, with characters reacting in ways that felt organic rather than mechanical. Reviewers highlighted its smart writing and the way choices rippled through the narrative in unexpected ways. For a horror game that promises "everyone can die," that level of craft matters. A death only carries weight when the player understands why it happened and feels the sting of responsibility.

Sony's decision to bring AdHoc into the fold signals a recognition that Until Dawn 2's branching narrative needs to be more than a gimmick. The original game's butterfly effect system was innovative for its time, but the genre has evolved since 2015. Players have grown savvier about how choice-based games operate, and they can smell a fake decision from a mile away. AdHoc's involvement suggests Sony is serious about delivering consequences that feel earned.

That said, the partnership is not without risk. AdHoc built its reputation on comedy, and translating sharp wit into sustained horror is a different creative challenge entirely. There is also the question of fit: Firesprite's background leans toward technical showcase titles like Horizon Call of the Mountain, and coordinating a narrative-first vision with a studio known for production polish is no guarantee of seamless collaboration. And for fans of the original, the standalone framing, new characters, new setting, no direct ties to the 2015 classic, could feel like a departure rather than a continuation. Whether those gambles pay off will depend on how well the two studios' sensibilities merge in the final product.

How This Shapes the Horror Genre

The original Until Dawn helped define what modern choice-driven horror could be. Supermassive's follow-up work with the Dark Pictures Anthology refined the formula, but the genre has arguably plateaued in recent years. Many games in this space rely on the same structural tricks: collectible clues, relationship meters, and binary life-or-death decisions that rarely surprise anyone who has played more than a few entries.

AdHoc's approach could push the genre forward. Instead of simple butterfly effect mechanics where one obvious choice leads to one predictable outcome, the studio's background suggests a more nuanced approach. Character-driven consequences, where decisions shape relationships and personalities over time, could create the kind of tension that horror thrives on. The fear of losing a character you have grown attached to hits harder when that attachment developed through organic interaction rather than scripted exposition.

This also has implications for replayability. A branching narrative with meaningful variance between playthroughs gives players a reason to return, to test different approaches, to see what happens when they make the choice they were too afraid to make the first time. For a game built around the promise that "everyone can die," that sense of possibility is essential.

What This Means for PlayStation's Narrative Ambitions

Until Dawn 2 is shaping up to be more than a routine sequel. The collaboration between Firesprite and AdHoc pairs the production values of a first-party PlayStation studio with the narrative expertise of a team that built its reputation on choice-driven storytelling. The locked release date of January 28, 2027 gives players a concrete mark on the calendar, and the fresh cast of ghost hunters chasing viral fame on a remote island offers a premise with plenty of room for both horror and the kind of sharp character work AdHoc is known for.

The open question is whether AdHoc's signature wit and character depth will translate into the terror of an isolated island, and whether the studio's comedic instincts can coexist with the dread that Until Dawn fans expect. If the collaboration works, it could set a new standard for what narrative horror can achieve. If it stumbles, it will at least offer a fascinating case study in how indie sensibilities and first-party ambitions collide.

For players who have been waiting a decade for a proper follow-up to the 2015 classic, the wait is nearly over. The only question left is whether they will be brave enough to see every ending.