Sony’s Until Dawn movie sparked controversy over missing writing credits, raising bigger questions about how game creators are recognised in Hollywood.
Sony is facing backlash after the upcoming Until Dawn movie adaptation failed to acknowledge the original video game’s writers, Larry Fessenden and Graham Reznick. The movie, based on the 2015 horror video game of the same name, only credits the work with the line “based on a Sony game.”
Former PlayStation Narrative director petitions to credit both writers
A petition launched by former PlayStation Narrative Director Kate MacAskill calls for Fessenden and Reznick to be credited in the film.
MacAskill wrote that despite the "immense dedication, creativity, and innovation" the writers gave to Sony, their names are missing entirely in the film credits. She criticised the company for ignoring the standard crediting practices seen in publishing and television, arguing that “the rules around game IP are out of date,” especially as video game adaptations grow in popularity.
The petition also urges Sony to revise the Until Dawn film credits and re-examine how it treats creators of original game IPs. It suggests offering an executive producer credit or a similar form of acknowledgement to recognise creators whose work shaped these stories and designs.
Comparisons with The Last of Us
On LinkedIn, MacAskill pointed to the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us, which credits both the game studio and co-creator Neil Druckmann. She questioned why similar recognition wasn’t extended to those behind Until Dawn.
As someone who once worked at Sony, MacAskill said she was told her own IP contributions would “never be credited” due to being a salaried employee.
She wrote that while the film’s director and writers are credited, the creators of the original game are not. “They spent years breaking their brains to make something incredible… No credit. No thanks. No honour.”
Until Dawn video game writers not surprised by the omission
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, both writers said they weren’t surprised by the omission. “I didn’t assume anything, but I thought somebody would have bothered to throw in our names, even during the end credits,” Fessenden said. “But there’s no courtesy in show biz,” he added.
Although they aren't seeking formal credit from Sony or Supermassive, both felt a simple acknowledgement in the film credits would have been appropriate.
Fessenden and Reznick were central to the creation of the original game, though they said that they were not the creators of the concept of the game itself. Fessenden was invited to pitch his version by creative director Will Byles and Supermassive Games co-owner Pete Samuels.
Their work led to a Guinness World Record for the “Longest Script for a Graphic Adventure Video Game” in 2015. Reznick recalled that the pair wrote around 10,000 pages for the branching narrative structure, which evolved during development from PlayStation 3 to PlayStation 4.
In 2015, Sony asked the duo to pitch their take on a potential Until Dawn movie. Their concept was a meta-narrative inspired by cult horror films like Brainscan (1994) and Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994). However, it was one of several pitches Sony received, and theirs wasn’t chosen.
Both Fessenden nor Reznick were not approached for the current film, which was written by Blair Butler and Gary Dauberman. The movie adaptation introduces new characters and settings, separate from those seen in the original game.
Issues with video game writing credits
Screenwriter and Writers Guild of America member C. Robert Cargill, known for writing Doctor Strange and The Black Phone, says the problem isn’t about who deserves credit; it’s about how the Writers Guild handles video game work. “The credit is clear,” he said, “but the Guild doesn’t have a set way to deal with video games, so it gets messy.”
Cargill has worked on several unproduced video game adaptations with director Scott Derrickson, including a Resident Evil series for Netflix and a Deus Ex film. He says that while studios may technically follow WGA rules, those rules don’t apply to games. “The Guild has no control or agreements with the video game industry,” he added.
Neither Larry Fessenden nor Reznick are WGA members, although Reznick was once part of the Guild’s Video Game Writers Caucus. That group, meant to connect non-union writers with WGA members, was shut down in 2021. The Guild also stopped giving out its Video Game Writing award in 2019, showing just how little involvement it now has in that space.
