Almost every moderately successful video game under the sun seems to be getting a film or series adaptation, and nightmarish labyrinth The Exit 8 is next in line.
The Exit 8 might not have reached the same mainstream heights as Mouthwashing or Doki Doki Literature Club – as far as indie horrors go – but it’s still been a wild success regardless. On Steam, the “short walking simulator inspired by Japanese underground passageways, liminal spaces and back rooms” has a Very Positive rating thanks to its infinitely looping psychological horror. And Nintendo recently announced that The Exit 8 was the second most-downloaded Switch game of the year in Japan, trailing only last year’s victor Suika Game.
Thanks to the viral game’s success, distributor and production company Toho – the same one behind Godzilla and Haikyu – has announced that it’s turning The Exit 8 into a live action film, set to release theatrically sometime next year. The adaptation’s cast and director are also currently under wraps.
“Exit 8 will be made into a live-action movie!” creator Kotake Create announced on the game’s website. “I had no idea that when the game released at the end of November 2023, a movie adaptation would be announced about a year later, so I’m full of surprise and gratitude. When I was approached about the movie, I was wondering how to make a movie about a game without a story, but I think it will be interesting as a movie without destroying the world view and atmosphere of Exit 8! I also visited the shooting site, and it was really amazing to see that underground passage and uncle in front of me! We hope you will look forward to it! I’m also very much looking forward to the release!”
The Exit 8 has players walking through what looks like the same underground passageway again and again, while aiming to find the right exit: The titular Exit 8. It mostly plays like a spooky, liminal spot-the-difference puzzler – if you spot an ‘anomaly,’ a difference in the environment, you need to turn back or otherwise risk getting sent back to Exit 0.
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