We recently told you about the Game of Death franchise universe, an ambitious multimedia project that has enlisted the help of Dread Central founder Steve “Uncle Creepy” Barton (Terrifier 2, Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, Survival of the Dead).
Bloody Disgusting has learned in an exclusive update this week that Steve Barton has now secured the North American rights to the first two (of three) Game of Death films.
The first film, Game of Death Chapter 1: The Six Doors to Hell, and its sequel, Game of Death Chapter 2: Dark Secrets, have been acquired by IMN: International Media Network (All Hallows Eve franchise, Quantum Supremacy) for U.S. distribution, with a planned release this summer. Stay tuned for exact venues and dates.
“Working on the third chapter of this franchise has been an insanely fun and gory experience,” says Barton. “I needed to make sure that before audiences dive into the upcoming third chapter, they have the opportunity to see the original films—uncut and in their entirety.”
“We’re thrilled to have acquired these bold, genre-bending titles,” says IMN President Ryan Swenar. “The Game of Death films blend bone-crunching action with nightmare-fueled horror, creating a dark, high-impact universe that’s truly action-horror turned up to eleven.”
“The first installment, Six Doors, serves as an homage to martial arts and horror cinema, while Part 2, Dark Secrets, pays tribute to genre classics like The Thing and Evil Dead 2. These films deliver in a big way, and we are incredibly proud of them,” says writer, director, and FX artist Timo Rose. “We hope fans love these films—and every drop of blood we poured into them. The wait is almost over. It’s time to unleash them… and this summer is about to get bloody.”
“Both films serve as a love letter to bloody, brutal, slimy, and unapologetically shocking genre cinema,” says creator and producer Nando Rohner. “Horror isn’t just something we make—it’s part of our DNA. We live and breathe it, and we hope that passion resonates throughout the Game of Death films. With these entries, we aim to take audiences on a journey into hell—a world where no one is safe and anything can happen.”
In the first movie…
“Set in a bleak future where the world suffocates under the iron fist of a tyrannical regime, Ken Shiro—driven by unyielding determination—embarks on a perilous mission to locate the gate to Hell and rescue his daughter from the Inferno.”
And in the sequel…
“The story unfolds across two converging timelines, while simultaneously jumping back to 2015 to reveal the origins of what is to come. Serving as both a sequel and a prequel, the narrative follows parallel storylines that inexorably converge, exposing hidden truths, long-buried choices, and the forces that set the apocalypse in motion. As past and future collide, so do two worlds—human and infernal—culminating in a brutal, unavoidable bloodbath that reshapes everything left standing.”
Bloodlines: Game of Death Chapter 3 is currently in pre-production and continues the saga as a direct sequel to both Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. Set just two weeks after the events of Dark Secrets, the world is still reeling from the aftermath of what was unleashed. Any illusion of safety is gone, and the boundaries between the living and the damned have begun to erode.
The first two films star David Ruessel (martial arts expert and YouTube influencer with over 400,000 subscribers), Deena Unverzagt (WINNIE THE POOH – MASTER OF PUPPETS), Maya Trojanowski (DEATH WISH: ZERO), Lewis Santer (WINNIE THE POOH: BLOOD AND HONEY 2, PINOCCHIO: UNSTRUNG, other upcoming POOHNIVERSE titles), Golden Globe winner Irene Miracle (MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, PUPPET MASTER, Dario Argento’s INFERNO), Richard Norton (CHINA O’BRIEN, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, FURIOSA, KICKFIGHTER), Norbert Weisser (John Carpernter’s THE THING, SCHINDLER’S LIST, “KNIGHT RIDER,” “BREAKING BAD,” “BETTER CALL SAUL”), Robert Samuels (SUPERCOP, THE CORRUPTER), and Yanlong Li (renowned Wushu Grand Master; JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4, THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS).
Watch the trailer for the Game of Death movie-verse below for a bloody taste.
