Sony Criticized for Excluding Until Dawn Writers

A former PlayStation narrative lead is urging the Until Dawn film producers to properly acknowledge the game's original writers in the movie credits.

As reported by Eurogamer, Kim MacAskill's campaign challenges Sony to establish new standards for crediting creative teams when adapting game IPs across media formats, stating: "We're calling upon Sony, an industry leader, to pioneer fairer crediting practices – especially for transmedia projects."

"Having recently departed the Until Dawn project," MacAskill explained, "I saw film directors and writers receive full credits while the brilliant game developers who built this iconic title were simply lumped together as 'based on the Sony game.' These creators deserve individual recognition for their years of groundbreaking work."

"Their contributions warrant proper acknowledgement – not blanket anonymity," she emphasized.

MacAskill expanded her argument in a LinkedIn post, contrasting HBO's approach to The Last of Us adaptation – which credits both Naughty Dog and creative director Neil Druckmann – with Sony's handling of Until Dawn's film credits.

The director recounted Sony executives bluntly stating that salaried employees retain no creative rights: "I was expressly told the IP I developed would never carry my name—no royalties, no control, no recognition whatsoever," directly questioning Sony about disparate treatment between high-profile creators and others.

When inquiring about rights to her Sony-developed IPs, MacAskill received corporate boilerplate: "They claimed to 'understand my position' but maintained this was an immutable company-wide policy, insisting 'it's nothing personal.'"

"My request was modest – appropriate credit and potential adaptation rights," she noted.

The petition specifically demands: "Sony must reform its IP crediting system for cross-media adaptations. At minimum, executive producer credits or equivalent recognition would properly honor the visionary creators behind these transformative works."

"This fight transcends Until Dawn—it's about upholding creative integrity industry-wide. Proper attribution ensures future generations of developers feel valued when pushing creative boundaries," the petition concludes, calling supporters to "stand with all game creators demanding rightful recognition."

In separate news, PlayStation Plus may offer Until Dawn Remastered in May 2025—potentially timed with the new film's release. Our review scored the adaptation 5/10, criticizing its squandered potential: "The Until Dawn film abandons the game's horror strengths for generic Hollywood tropes," as noted in IGN's review.