Star Trek is set to make a significant genre shift in 2027 with the upcoming release of Star Trek: Shadow Frontier, which will lean into psychological horror. Developed by Bloober Team, the studio behind Silent Hill 2 and The Medium, the game aims to blend the franchise's established sci-fi elements with horror inspired by titles like Alien, Resident Evil, and Dead Space.
Star Trek: Shadow Frontier will feature Ro Laren, a fan-favorite character from Star Trek: The Next Generation, portrayed by Michelle Forbes who originally voiced the role. The narrative follows Ro as she crash-lands on an uncharted planet described as a "spaceship graveyard where nothing is as it seems." Players will guide Ro through a corrupted environment, encountering twisted creatures, a hostile ecosystem, and a mysterious entity that threatens her mind and body.
Paramount Games Studio and Bloober Team have expressed enthusiasm for the project. Shawn Kittelsen, head of creative and production at Paramount Games Studio, stated that Bloober Team was chosen for their ability to create immersive, atmospheric experiences and push the Star Trek legacy forward with a bold new direction. Bloober Team CEO Piotr Babieno highlighted the studio's passion for science fiction and horror, aiming to deliver a unique adventure that honors Star Trek while offering a fresh perspective.
This move marks a departure for the Star Trek franchise, which has explored various genres over its 60-year history, including romance, mystery, and courtroom drama, while primarily remaining within a sci-fi framework. Recent entries like Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds have showcased lighter, more comedic tones, making Shadow Frontier's foray into psychological horror a notable pivot.
Bloober Team has a busy development schedule, also working on a new asymmetric multiplayer horror game based on the Saw franchise and remakes of Silent Hill and Layers of Fear. Star Trek: Shadow Frontier is slated for release in 2027 on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.