There’s been an uptick as of late in video games featuring Michael Myers in one shape or another (no pun intended). Dead by Daylight, the online serial killer survival game, added him to its roster of murderers as part of the 2016 “Chapter 2: Halloween” DLC pack; RetroRealms’ arcade beat ’em up Halloween and Ash vs. Evil Dead gave Myers a whole short video game to slay around in; and he’s had limited-time appearances in Call of Duty: Warzone and Fortnite. In all of them he does what he does best: spill blood.
No more sharing the spotlight. At long last, The Shape gets his own game in the form of Halloween: The Game, a tribute to the John Carpenter original that lets you play as either an innocent victim or as Michael Myers himself. In other words, you either survive or become the reason there’s a need for survival at all.
IllFonic and Gun Interactive are behind the project, which will include single player and multiplayer modes. It’s set for release on September 8, 2026. IllFonic and Gun Interactive have both Friday the 13th: The Game and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre under their belt, which gives a hint at what can be expected here.
Like the games mentioned above, Halloween is an asymmetrical survival horror game. Sandbox levels are designed for stealth and scavenging, giving way for that tense cat-and-mouse gameplay that Dead by Daylight popularized (which also carries some Resident Evil DNA as it pertains to the Mr. X and Nemesis segments in parts two and three).
One intriguing aspect of playing as Michael Myers is his ability to “Shape Jump,” which allows the player to become a kind of phantom that moves around faster and unnoticed around the map to teleport closer to his victims. It’s a clever idea that explains how the slasher can move so fast in the movies without ever running. His slow walk has always carried a strange sense of terror because of this, and now players will be able to tap into this power for some sadistic murdering of their own.
While there’s certainly more to be revealed before its release, more so after the overview trailer shown at Sony’s latest State of Play event, the developers have already confirmed a Story Mode that puts you in the shoes of The Shape to explore and terrorize a fairly large recreation of Haddonfield and some of its most memorable locales (like the Myers house).
This is quite exciting as asymmetrical horror games often go the route of including single player modes that function more as guided versions of their multiplayer experiences. This is how Saber Madrid’s Evil Dead: The Game played out. The mode served more as a tutorial disguised as a story mode rather than a dedicated experience that’s totally separate from everything else.
This isn’t a knock on those types of tutorial-like single player modes. If anything, they can be very fun due to how lean and hyper-focused they can be. Just how long and expansive Halloween‘s story mode will be remains to be seen. But it’s a definite step in the right direction.
It’s not much of a stretch to expect multiple skins for the iconic slasher after release. Despite the simple design, there are enough versions of The Shape and his mask throughout the Halloween franchise to warrant several DLC drops. The changes between them are subtle but noticeable nonetheless.
Budget sometimes determined the quality of the mask. The shape of the actor’s head in each movie also played a role as it affected its overall fit and snugness. The consensus is that the mask Michael wears in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers is the worst one. It had an odd structure, sporting longer hair and a wider neck, giving Michael an off-balanced and ill-fitting look.
If the developers want to blow the fanbase’s collective mind, they’ll find a way to include the Silver Shamrock Novelties masks the kids wear in Halloween 3: Season of the Witch (the only movie in the series to not include Michael Myers). Maybe there’s an opportunity there to bring in three killer kids to the game. It could expand on the mythos and open up future possibilities for the game.
Halloween: The Game is already looking like a bloody love letter to one of horror’s most influential franchises. There’s still a year left till the game’s release, but the latest trailer and the bits of information made public by the development team promise an experience worthy of the Michael Myers name. If only we could somehow get a VR headset in the form of Michael’s mask for this.
