DarkStone Digital, the creators of The Mortuary Assistant, have released a free demo of their canceled Paranormal Activity game, titled Playable Archive, on Steam. The demo is a 30- to 45-minute first-person camcorder gameplay experience alongside a police investigation that occurs after all hell breaks loose in a residence. The game was canceled due to Paramount refusing to give the developers more time to polish it.
Studio owner Brian Clarke released the demo as a 'form of personal healing' and to honor the work that was built. Clarke stated that it felt wrong to leave the game sitting on the shelf like a cursed item. The demo is available now on Steam and has left the author genuinely shaken, adding it to a very short list of games that have left them that way.
It's a good idea and well-executed, suggesting that whatever DarkStone does next will be worth watching. The author is thankful it was released, as it provides some sense of closure for what was likely going to be another banger from this indie team. The author counts The Mortuary Assistant as one of the best horror games and recommends checking out DarkStone's other games on their Steam page.
There's no indication that Paramount is seeking another studio to make a video game based on the Paranormal Activity series, though the next movie is due out in 2027 and is helmed by director Ian Tuason, who is also obsessed with audio design.