Sony Slammed for Omitting Until Dawn Writers from Movie Credits

A former PlayStation narrative director, Kim MacAskill, has launched a petition aimed at the creators of the Until Dawn movie, urging them to properly credit the game's original writers in the film adaptation. As reported by Eurogamer, MacAskill's petition seeks to influence Sony to set a new standard in crediting for game-to-film adaptations.

In her petition, MacAskill expressed frustration that while the film credits the movie's director and writers, the game developers who crafted the iconic "Until Dawn" game are only acknowledged with a vague "based on the Sony game" statement. She emphasized the dedication and creativity of the game's developers, stating, "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."

MacAskill elaborated on her concerns in a LinkedIn post, drawing a comparison between the treatment of the "Until Dawn" team and the credits given to Neil Druckmann for HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us. She highlighted the disparity, noting that Sony executives informed her that her personally created IP would not be credited to her due to her salaried status, which she felt was unfair compared to the recognition given to Druckmann.

She further explained that her inquiries about IP rights were met with understanding but firm refusal from Sony, stating it was a company-wide policy and not targeted at her personally. MacAskill's primary request is for Sony to revise its approach to crediting in transmedia adaptations, suggesting that providing an executive producer credit or equivalent acknowledgment would honor the creators' contributions.

The petition calls for broader industry recognition of creative contributions, aiming to inspire future creators and uphold the integrity of the entertainment industry. MacAskill urges supporters to sign the petition to push Sony towards acknowledging game creators in transmedia narratives.

In related news, it was reported earlier that Until Dawn Remastered will be part of the PlayStation Plus games lineup for May 2025, possibly as a promotional move for the Until Dawn movie, which was released just before the weekend. However, the movie received a lukewarm response, earning a 5/10 rating from IGN, with the review stating, "Until Dawn is more disappointing than deadly, leaving all the promise of the horror game behind for a jumble of horror-movie re-creations."