'Are we going too far with this?': One of the worst scenes in Outlast had its devs debating whether to add it to the game or not

The makers of Outlast talked about a scene they almost cut because it felt too extreme. In it, a character watches something terrible and is mocked for watching. Creative director Philippe Morin said the team wanted players to feel that anything could happen. Lead writer J.T. Petty wrote lines that turned the blame back on the player. Morin said that scene caused the first heated debate. The team later set a limit in The Outlast Trials, using mannequins instead of child characters.

Outlast came out in 2013 and became famous for found-footage horror and graphic violence. It was made by a small studio, Red Barrels. Horror games often push into uncomfortable subjects to shock players. Developers must balance that with store rules, age ratings and their own sense of taste. Red Barrels has said no major publisher wanted the first game, so the team funded it with public programmes and savings.

Games are made by people who argue about limits. This is a rare look at how developers decide what is too disturbing to show players.