A former PlayStation narrative director, Kim MacAskill, has launched a petition urging the creators of the Until Dawn movie to properly credit the game's original writers. As highlighted by Eurogamer, MacAskill's petition aims to encourage Sony to set a new standard in crediting intellectual property (IP) creators, especially in transmedia projects.
MacAskill expressed her frustration on the petition, stating, "I've just left Until Dawn where the film director, writers, etc, were all credited, but instead of [Sony] mentioning the leading game dev(s) who created this ICONIC game you're clearly proud of, [Sony] just wrapped it as 'based on the Sony game'." She emphasized the hard work and dedication of the game's developers, arguing that they deserve recognition for their contributions.
In a detailed LinkedIn post, MacAskill compared the crediting of HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us, which acknowledges both the studio and its writer and director Neil Druckmann, to the lack of similar credits for the Until Dawn team. She recounted how Sony executives firmly told her that her personally created IP would never be credited to her due to her salaried status, which included no royalties, control, ownership, or acknowledgment.
MacAskill's petition calls for Sony to revise its approach to IP crediting, suggesting an executive producer credit or equivalent acknowledgment for creators. She believes this would honor those whose vision and passion have significantly influenced the entertainment landscape. The petition aims to advocate for the integrity of the industry and inspire future creators by ensuring proper recognition in transmedia narratives.
In other news, it appears that Until Dawn Remastered will be part of the PlayStation Plus games for May 2025, potentially as a promotional move for the recently released Until Dawn movie. However, the movie received a lukewarm reception, earning a 5/10 rating from IGN, with the review stating, "Until Dawn is more disappointing than deadly, leaving all the promise of the horror game behind for a jumble of horror-movie re-creations."
