Alone in the Dark reboot delayed again, will now land in March so devs “avoid any potential crunch”

The reboot of survival-horror series Alone in the Dark has seen a second delay, with its release date now landing toward the end of next March. Publishers THQ Nordic ascribed the roughly two-month slip to their efforts in avoiding development crunch.

Alone in the Dark came to light last summer as a reimagining of the 1992 psychological horror game set in the very haunted house of Derceto Manor. The game follows two separate protagonists in Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood, portrayed respectively by Stranger Things’ David Harbour and Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer, who offer different perspectives on a search for Emily’s uncle Jeremy.

Behind the remixed story is SOMA and Amnesia writer Mikael Hedberg, whose updated narrative will be complemented by a modern new over-the-shoulder camera rather than the of-the-time static angles of the 1992 original. Expect the ingredients of that game to still be here in a mix of puzzles, combat and exploration, though, with other notable names involved including monster designer Guy Davis - the character designer for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio - and composer Jason Köhnen.

Announcing the shift of Alone in the Dark’s release date to March 20th 2024, THQ Nordic and developers Pieces Interactive said that “the well-being of the teams is a top priority, and both companies want to avoid any potential crunch over the Christmas holidays”.

“With our initially planned release date in January 2024, the Christmas season would have been filled with stress and anything but a jolly time for them.”

They previously bumped Alone in the Dark out of its pre-Halloween spot to avoid some more polish and avoid competing with the likes of Alan Wake 2 and Spider-Man 2. That feels like a smart move now, given the rapturous response to the two sequels.

If you’re after a way to get a taste of what’s in store before then, the reboot saw the release of a free Prologue chapter earlier this year