NGRThe Outlast Trials Dev Discusses Rough Early Playtests and Six-Year Journey
Red Barrels co-founder Philippe Morin revealed that early playtests for The Outlast Trials went poorly, leading to major design revisions.
Image: Steam store promotional artwork
Developing cooperative horror hit The Outlast Trials required six years of heavy iteration and extensive prototyping before it was ready for an early access release. Red Barrels co-founder Philippe Morin explained in a recent interview that transforming the initial concept of multiplayer horror into a functional product demanded substantial time and experimentation.
Early on, the studio aimed for infinite replayability by pushing systemic and randomized elements as far as possible. However, Morin noted that the design team drifted too far from the franchise's identity. Although the studio had a potentially shippable version ready within four years of work, test sessions with players performed poorly and forced the team to rethink their approach.
To solve these issues, the developers scaled back some of their aggressive systemic goals to focus on delivering an experience that felt authentically like an Outlast title. The project has since found its footing as an ongoing multiplayer experience, even as future standalone sequels like Outlast 3 were reportedly deprioritized following the game's momentum.