Fifteen years ago, the idea of finding a publisher for a horror game, especially one centered on a defenseless protagonist and extreme violence, seemed unlikely. Red Barrels founders Philippe Morin, David Chateauneuf, and Hugo Dallaire, developers with experience at major studios like EA and Ubisoft, found themselves seeking a new path after a project was canceled at EA. This led them to form Red Barrels, an independent studio with a passion for horror.
Their vision for their debut game, Outlast, was clear: a first-person horror experience where players could only run and hide, utilizing a night-vision camera to navigate terrifying environments. This signature mechanic, along with a commitment to graphic violence, would define the series. Morin recounted their initial struggles, noting that publishers were hesitant, often preferring to invest smaller amounts in multiple mobile games rather than a single ambitious horror title. "We thought at first that we'd come up with the pitch within three or four months and shop it around to a few publishers, and we'd find out pretty quickly if it works or not," Morin said. Instead, it took 18 months of meetings before the Canada Media Fund provided crucial public investment, supplemented by the founders' own savings and mortgages.
With no publisher secured, Red Barrels had to learn the ropes of publishing, marketing, and sales on the fly. They found an unexpected ally in Frictional Games, whose co-founder Thomas Grip shared insights into navigating Steam sales dynamics. Outlast's launch in 2013 was followed by a Halloween discount and a significant boost from Conan O'Brien's "Clueless Gamer" segment. Within five months, the game surpassed its initial goal of 400,000 copies sold. A PlayStation 4 port and inclusion in PlayStation Plus further amplified its reach.
The series' commitment to visceral horror, including depictions of extreme violence and gore, was not a calculated response to the "torture porn" trend in film but rather a "personal preference" of the developers. "We didn't start like, 'Oh, we've got to make the goriest game out there.' It was just, 'We're making a horror game, so obviously we'll make it gory,'" Morin explained. This unflinching approach, while potentially niche, became a major selling point, distinguishing Outlast from other horror titles.
Outlast 2, released in 2017, expanded the series' scope with larger, outdoor environments, a departure from the claustrophobic asylum of the first game. While critically and commercially successful, it faced challenges, including being scaled back to avoid a ban in Australia and a launch that proved more difficult for players than anticipated. The physical release, Outlast Trinity, also raised questions about cannibalizing digital sales.
Building on the success of its predecessors and the growing trend of co-op gaming, Red Barrels developed The Outlast Trials. Launched in early access in 2023 and reaching its 1.0 version in 2024 with a console release, the game was designed to translate the shared viewing experience of playing Outlast with friends into an interactive multiplayer environment. The Outlast Trials has become Red Barrels' most successful title to date, attracting nearly 19 million players and becoming a leading co-op horror game. Despite some player concerns regarding the use of generative AI for in-game assets, the game has seen significant updates, including new content, a prestige system, and seasonal battle passes, driving its continued popularity.
Collectively, the Outlast series has amassed over 60 million players. While the future of Outlast 3 remains unconfirmed, with Red Barrels currently focused on The Outlast Trials, the studio's journey from independent ambition to a major force in horror gaming underscores the enduring appeal of its distinct brand of terror.