Ex-PlayStation Director Criticizes Sony for Omitting Until Dawn Writers from Movie Credits

Kim MacAskill, a former narrative director at PlayStation, has launched a petition urging the creators of the Until Dawn movie to properly credit the game's original writers. As highlighted by Eurogamer, MacAskill's petition calls on Sony to "set a precedent for change" by revising the credits for the Until Dawn adaptation. She emphasizes the need for Sony to reconsider their approach to crediting intellectual property (IP) in transmedia projects.

In her petition, MacAskill expressed frustration over the current credits for the movie, which simply state "based on the Sony game" without acknowledging the game developers. She passionately argues that the developers, who dedicated years to crafting the game, deserve recognition for their creative efforts. "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," she wrote.

On LinkedIn, MacAskill further elaborated on her concerns by comparing the treatment of the Until Dawn creators to that of Neil Druckmann, who received credits for both writing and directing HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us. She recounted being told by Sony executives that her personally created IP would never be credited to her because she was a salaried employee. She expressed her disappointment directly to Sony, highlighting the disparity in treatment within the company.

MacAskill's petition calls for Sony to revise their crediting practices, suggesting that providing an executive producer credit or similar acknowledgment would honor the creators and inspire future generations. She advocates for the integrity of the gaming industry, urging Sony and others to recognize the contributions of game developers in transmedia adaptations.

In other news, it appears that Until Dawn Remastered will be part of the PlayStation Plus lineup for May 2025, likely as a promotional move for the newly released Until Dawn movie. However, the movie did not meet expectations, receiving a 5/10 in IGN's Until Dawn movie review, which criticized it for failing to capture the essence of the horror game and instead delivering a disjointed collection of horror movie tropes.