Sony Slammed by Ex-PlayStation Director for Omitting Until Dawn Writers in Movie Credits

A former PlayStation narrative director, Kim MacAskill, has launched a petition urging the creators of the Until Dawn movie to properly credit the game's writers. As highlighted by Eurogamer, MacAskill's petition seeks to influence Sony to "set a precedent for change by revising the Until Dawn credits" and reevaluate their approach to crediting intellectual property in transmedia adaptations.

In her petition, MacAskill expressed frustration over the lack of recognition for the game developers, stating, "I've just left Until Dawn where the film director, writers, etc, were all credited, but instead of [Sony] mentioning the leading game dev(s) who created this ICONIC game you're clearly proud of, [Sony] just wrapped it as 'based on the Sony game'." She emphasized the hard work and dedication of the game's creators, arguing that "they spent years breaking their brains to make something incredible, and the world DESERVES to know their names... instead… No credit. No thanks. No honor."

Further elaborating on LinkedIn, MacAskill drew a comparison between the credits given to Naughty Dog and Neil Druckmann for HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us and the lack thereof for the Until Dawn movie. She recounted being told by Sony executives that the IP she created would never be credited to her due to her salaried status, which included no royalties, control, ownership, or acknowledgment. She directly addressed Sony, questioning the disparity in treatment and expressing her desire for credit and potential ownership for adaptations.

MacAskill's petition calls for Sony to revise their approach to IP crediting, particularly in transmedia adaptations, suggesting that providing an executive producer credit or equivalent acknowledgment would honor the creators. She stressed the importance of recognizing creative voices to inspire future generations and maintain 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 was reported that Until Dawn Remastered might be included in the PlayStation Plus games for May 2025, possibly as a promotional move for the newly released Until Dawn movie. However, the movie received a lukewarm reception, earning a 5/10 in IGN's Until Dawn movie review, which criticized it for failing to capture the horror game's promise and instead offering a disjointed collection of horror-movie recreations.