Kim MacAskill, a former narrative director at PlayStation, has launched a petition urging the creators of the Until Dawn movie to properly credit the game's writers in the film adaptation. As highlighted by Eurogamer, MacAskill's petition emphasizes the need for Sony to "set a precedent for change" in how intellectual property (IP) crediting is handled, especially in transmedia projects. She argues that Sony should revise the credits for Until Dawn to recognize the game developers who crafted the iconic title, rather than simply stating the film is "based on the Sony game."
In a detailed LinkedIn post, MacAskill contrasted the crediting approach of the Until Dawn movie with HBO's adaptation of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us, which gives credit to both the studio and Neil Druckmann as writer and director. She expressed frustration with Sony's executives, who told her that her personally created IP would never be credited to her due to her salaried status, which provided no royalties, control, ownership, or acknowledgment. MacAskill stated that when she inquired about the rights to her creations, a Sony representative responded that the company understood her position but was firm in its policy, stating it was "nothing personal" and applied "firm-wide."
MacAskill's petition calls for Sony to reconsider its approach to IP crediting in transmedia adaptations, suggesting that providing an executive producer credit or similar acknowledgment would honor the creators and inspire future generations. She advocates for the integrity of the industry, urging supporters to sign the petition to stand with game creators in demanding recognition in transmedia narratives.
In related news, it appears that Until Dawn Remastered will be part of the PlayStation Plus games for May 2025, possibly as a promotional move for the recently released Until Dawn movie. However, the film received a lukewarm reception, earning a 5/10 in IGN's Until Dawn movie review, which criticized it for not living up to the horror game's promise and instead offering a disjointed collection of horror movie tropes.
