It was a major bummer when DarkStone Digital and DreadXP had to cancel Paranormal Activity: Threshold after Paramount had declined to give them an extension on the development of the project. However, Brian Clarke decided to polish what was there and release it for free as Playable Archive, which is available now on Steam!
Clarke explains, “Long story short, my publisher and I requested a time extension from Paramount which was rejected. So I basically could choose between rushing a sub-par game quickly or walking. I’m a solo dev and putting out a bad game affects me far more than a giant company so I left.”
“That issue aside,” he adds, “Paramount was nice in the process allowing me to keep what I created and we parted ways amicably. That’s why I was able to release this in the form I have.”
Playable Archive is described as a “micro horror experience” that essentially takes the same premise from the original project, but has tweaked it for obvious legal reasons. The story goes that an archive from an anonymous whistleblower has surfaced containing unexplainable events.
A New England couple stumbles upon a mysterious object during home renovations. The anonymous report claims no such object was retrieved alongside the obtained footage. However, the contact has communicated the following experiences within the archive:
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Perform demonic rituals
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Communicate with the dead
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Experience multiple timelines
The entire game runs about 30-60 minutes, with no save system, and must be played from beginning to end.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve released something new and those following my work know that the project I had been working on the past few years, set to be my next major title, was canceled,” explains Clarke. “After putting so much of myself into it and a wonderful reception at PAX earlier this year, I have to admit, I was feeling burnt out and I imagined the project would simply sit on a shelf forever. A forgotten relic of development that sat in darkness while I built up a plan for a new project.
“However, recently DreadXP reached out to me and floated the idea of maybe releasing what I had. It felt like a good way of laying the project to rest instead of remaining a lingering ghost. So, I worked to adjust the project where needed and polished up the edges to release the work I had done.
“I’m sad to say that a good deal of work was still left on the cutting room floor but I’m proud of what I am able to share and that it is going to see the light of day in some form.”