A significant leak of Steam files, spanning from 2003 to 2013, has revealed an unreleased and unfinished horror game based on the Scream franchise. Twitter user Roly Poly Reaper discovered the title within the massive data dump and was able to get several builds running.
These recovered builds indicate the game was developed by Fatshark, the studio behind Warhammer: Vermintide and Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. According to datamined information, this Scream game was in development around 2011. This places its conceptualization ahead of the surge in popularity for asymmetrical horror titles like Dead by Daylight and Friday the 13th.
Roly Poly Reaper successfully enabled multiplayer functionality on a later build, allowing for gameplay footage to be shared. The recorded sessions show players as survivors attempting to evade a Ghostface-controlled player, who can utilize a stealth mechanic to move unseen and ambush victims. This ability to briefly disappear and reappear is reminiscent of mechanics seen in later games of the genre, such as the impending Halloween: The Game.
The files found within the leak suggest the game was initially a pitch, with folder names like "Scream_Pitch" and "Screampitch_inside." The development appears to have ceased around February of an unspecified year, a few months prior to the theatrical release of Scream 4. The full extent of the project's scope and potential impact if it had been completed and released remains speculative, with questions arising about whether it could have set a precedent for the genre or faced commercial failure.