2023 will receive a massive amount of survival horror games like the Resident Evil 4 remake, the Dead Space remake, Alan Wake 2 and possibly some Silent Hill projects, and this onslaught risks overstuffing the market. The horror genre has entered something of a renaissance in recent years, with both brand-new titles and remakes of terrifying classics giving horror fans plenty of spine-chilling interactive experiences. Next year is looking even bigger, with big-budget titles and AAA remakes set to arrive throughout the year. While the best survival horror games are able to stand out from a crowd, receiving so many titles risks burning out fans of horrifying survival games.
While the popularity of survival horror has waxed and waned over the years, the mid-2010s saw a resurgence in games with dark hallways and grotesque monsters. These successful entries in the genre include 2014's The Evil Within, which was directed by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, and the intense sci-fi title Alien: Isolation. 2017 also sparked a new beginning for the Resident Evil series, with Resident Evil 7 returning the franchise to its nightmarish roots while adopting an immersive new first-person perspective. Recently new survival horror games have released on a regular basis, but 2023 may risk delivering too much of a scary thing.
Too Many Survival Horror Games Could Oversaturate The Genre
Multiple exciting big-budget survival horror games are set to arrive throughout next year, and this onslaught risks making scary games feel repetitive and boring. Capcom will release an even scarier remake of Resident Evil 4, and the sci-fi horror classic Dead Space is also receiving a remake at Electronic Arts. Modern remakes of Silent Hill 2 and Alone in the Dark will follow this same trend, and could possibly arrive in 2023. Remedy Entertainment will also build upon the first game's thriller themes and turn Alan Wake 2 into full-fledged survival horror. Even more survival horror games without definitive release dates like Slitterhead, Layers of Fears and several additional new Silent Hill games could bloat the number of survival horror titles even further.
While each of these projects has the potential to deliver a fresh and exciting horror experience, having so many scary survival games flood the market is sure to burn out even the most devoted fans of the genre. The similarity between releases is most evidenced by the various third-person remakes of older games, which run the risk of all looking vaguely similar. Resident Evil 4, Dead Space, Silent Hill 2 and Alone in the Dark will all see players creep through familiar dark hallways and shoot familiar undead enemies from an over-the-shoulder perspective, and this repetition is likely to draw criticism throughout the year.
While the return of survival horror is a blessing for fans of terrifying titles, 2023 will flood the industry with way too many scary games. A majority of these AAA experience will also be remakes relevant for modern audiences, with games like Resident Evil 4, Silent Hill 2, Dead Space and Alone in the Dark all making a return next year. Even more Silent Hill games may also arrive before 2024, and Alan Wake 2 will push the first game's unsettling atmosphere even further. With many of these games striving for the same type of experience, too much of a good thing may prove to be a terrifying tragedy for the genre.