Outlast Playtester Left Studio in Tears and Never Returned

A playtester working with Red Barrels was reportedly so overwhelmed by the horror in Outlast that they ran outside the studio crying and never returned, according to the developer's co-founder.

Philippe Morin shared the incident during an interview with GameSpot, discussing how the studio's approach to psychological horror has affected people involved in developing and testing its games.

Morin recalled that the incident happened during a playtesting session lasting several hours. As the team continued experimenting with increasingly disturbing content, one participant abruptly left the building to cry outside.

According to Morin, the individual never returned to the studio. He did not specify which Outlast game was being tested or confirm whether the person was an employee.

The co-founder explained that Red Barrels has always approached horror according to the creative preferences of its developers rather than deliberately attempting to generate controversy.

However, the studio recognizes that its games contain material some people may find difficult to handle.

Morin said Red Barrels now makes prospective employees aware of the themes and content they may encounter during development.

He also described a separate incident involving an employee who joined the company on a Monday but resigned by Thursday because of discomfort with religious themes.

Despite these experiences, the Outlast franchise has attracted more than 60 million players since its debut in 2013.

The series' latest installment, The Outlast Trials, sold approximately 500,000 copies during its first week of early access.

Morin's comments highlight the challenges of developing horror games while maintaining the unsettling atmosphere that has defined Outlast for more than a decade.