A former PlayStation narrative director, Kim MacAskill, has launched a petition urging the creators of the Until Dawn movie to give proper credit to the game's original writers. As reported by Eurogamer, MacAskill's petition seeks to influence Sony, a leader in the gaming industry, to set a new standard for crediting in transmedia adaptations.
In her petition, MacAskill expressed her frustration that while the film's director and writers were credited, the game developers who crafted the iconic Until Dawn were simply acknowledged as "based on the Sony game." She emphasized the hard work and creativity of these 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."
Further elaborating on LinkedIn, MacAskill compared the treatment of the Until Dawn creators to that of HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us, which prominently credits both the studio, Naughty Dog, and its writer and director, Neil Druckmann. She questioned the disparity in how Sony credits different creators, recounting how Sony executives told her that the intellectual property she created would never be credited to her due to her salaried status.
MacAskill also shared her unsuccessful attempt to gain more rights to the IP she helped create, with a Sony representative stating that the policy was firm-wide and not personal. She concluded her petition by calling for Sony to revise its approach to IP crediting, suggesting that providing an executive producer credit or similar acknowledgment would honor the creators whose work has significantly impacted the entertainment industry.
"Let's advocate not only for the Until Dawn creators but for the integrity of the industry," MacAskill urged. "By ensuring that creative voices are properly recognized, we can continue to inspire future generations of creators who dare to dream beyond current constraints. Sign this petition to urge Sony… and stand with all game creators… demanding well-deserved recognition in transmedia narratives."
In related news, it was reported earlier that Until Dawn Remastered is set to be included in the PlayStation Plus games for May 2025, potentially as a promotional move ahead of the Until Dawn movie release. The movie, however, did not meet expectations, receiving 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."
