Outlast Trials Dev: Six Years, 'Shit-Ton of Prototypes' to Get It Right

Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of your favorite games? Sometimes it's not all smooth sailing—just ask Red Barrels about The Outlast Trials. In a recent interview with Gamespot, co-founder Philippe Morin opened up about the grueling six-year journey to bring the co-op horror game to life, and let's just say it wasn't pretty.

Morin didn't mince words: developing The Outlast Trials took "a fucking long time" and required "a shit-ton of prototypes." The team initially aimed for the stars, trying to make the game systemic, random, and infinitely replayable. But as Morin explained, they "went too far" in that direction. "We needed to come back to something that maybe added less replayability, but definitely felt more like Outlast," he told Gamespot.

So what went wrong? Apparently, the team had a seemingly shippable build within four years, but playtests went so poorly that they had to go back to the drawing board. That's right—after four years of work, they realized they had to pivot. It's a stark reminder that even seasoned studios can stumble, and that player feedback is crucial.

But hey, the struggle paid off. The Outlast Trials eventually launched into early access and has since evolved into a sizable live service game, with around 20,000 players in-game at the time of the article. Not too shabby for a game that once faced such rocky playtests.

Of course, the journey isn't over. The game's ongoing development has had its share of bumps—players are mixed on its use of AI-generated imagery, and it seems Outlast 3 was put on the backburner after Trials proved a huge success. But for now, Red Barrels is riding high on the game's popularity.

What do you think about the bumpy road to success for The Outlast Trials? Have you tried it out yet? Let us know in the comments!