{"id":449202,"date":"2026-01-31T08:58:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T08:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/449202\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T08:58:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T08:58:16","slug":"revival-developers-tease-sex-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/449202\/","title":{"rendered":"Revival Developers Tease Sex Violence"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cOn rare occasions, we had team members request to be switched to a different project because they found it unpleasant to work on something [this] explicit.\u201d So confesses Emil Esov, Game Director for Clive Barker\u2019s Hellraiser: Revival, in a recent Q&A with Bloody Disgusting.<\/p>\n

The fact that these transfer requests were submitted presumably didn\u2019t come as a huge shock to Esov and the rest of management over at Saber Interactive<\/a> (the parent company for his working studio, Mad Head Games). After all, the studio\u2019s hotly anticipated title is being touted as a 100% authentic adaptation of its disreputable source material. And that means there\u2019s no room for skimping on all the lurid depravity, kinky sex, and graphic violence that audiences have come to expect from this world of flesh-ripping chains and pain-worshiping demons.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Indeed, Saber has been rather vocal about how they aren\u2019t willing to budge an inch when it comes to the salacious content in their upcoming release and how they are determined to push the ESRB Mature rating as far as it will possibly go<\/a>. To the point where they are wearing it as a kind of punk-rock badge of honor.<\/p>\n

It\u2019d be uncharitable, then, to call anyone a shrinking violet if they admit that they\u2019re not super comfortable working on the game. Hellraiser: Revival is properly hardcore stuff that\u2019s designed to test the mettle of even the most hardened gorehounds, never mind those of a more sensitive disposition. It\u2019s totally fair if you think it\u2019s going to be too much for you!<\/p>\n

Plus, between John Carpenter\u2019s Toxic Commando<\/a> and Jurassic Park Survival<\/a>, Saber has plenty of other irons in the fire right now. So, you can hardly blame a dev for wanting to decamp this project in favor of something a little less extreme. Perhaps a title where they\u2019re not constantly modeling naked bodies, animating graphic BDSM orgies, or refining depictions of grotesque viscera. You know, something that they can happily discuss with friends and family at civilized get-togethers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Of course, with our website being named Bloody Disgusting, there was no need to be quite so coy with us. On the contrary, we were eager to hear from Esov about what Hellraiser: Revival has in store for fans, and what it\u2019s like to work on an IP that\u2019s notorious for testing the limits of what censors and mainstream audiences alike will stomach.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what we managed to find out from our chat with the man behind this latest affront to good taste.<\/p>\n

Not Safe for Work<\/p>\n

To his credit, Esov completely empathizes with those employees who requested to work on something milder, acknowledging: \u201cIt\u2019s not for everyone [\u2026] To be honest, it is not always easy. We are looking at our game day in and day out, often iterating on very disturbing content.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, he maintains that the majority of people who stuck around did eventually get desensitized to all the titillation and terror: \u201cI can\u2019t speak for everyone on our team, but for the most part I think we were comfortable from the start. Our studio is located in Serbia, and for good or bad, our country did not always follow strict rules about exposing children and young adults to stuff like this [\u2026] For example, I saw the original [Hellraiser] movie when I was 13 or something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Unflappable as the team might be, we still can\u2019t imagine it\u2019s always easy to keep your composure when working on something as willfully provocative as Revival. You\u2019ll necessarily have to collaborate with others on raunchy scenes; it\u2019s gonna be some poor guy\u2019s job to make sure that the human genitals look photoreal, and the staff meetings are bound to have a few unorthodox items on the agenda.<\/p>\n

When asked if this has ever led to communal outbreaks of blushing in the office, Esov replied: \u201cYou are right, it can get awkward. For example, when you design a sequence of gameplay, a cutscene, or an important narrative beat that involves explicit content, you need to talk to people and explain your vision. Maybe even act it out with some of them in order to really align on the direction of that particular scene. [However] most of us have worked together for a long time, and we have a relationship that goes beyond professional. So, it makes these things easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued: \u201cWe are all adults, but still, it can be surreal talking about some of the things that we put in our game. It\u2019s not even the explicit or sexual stuff that makes it surreal. It\u2019s more the weirdness and the context of it. There is simply no way to give an example without spoiling some part of the game, but usually [those] conversations turn into inside jokes for our team.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We Have Such Sights to Show You<\/p>\n

Even without venturing into spoiler territory, we\u2019re pretty confident that Hellraiser: Revival is going to stretch the boundaries of what a game can show<\/a> without earning that prohibitive \u201cAdults Only\u201d certification from the ESRB (which is typically reserved for products that are outright pornographic).<\/p>\n

We certainly got an eyeful of just about every taboo we can think of in the title\u2019s multiple trailers, replete as they\u2019ve been with full frontal nudity, bondage, and gruesome eviscerations. Some of the clips we\u2019ve seen would be enough to redden the cheeks of Frank Cotton himself!<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s what audiences crave from this franchise! Not just the recognizable iconography of cenobites and infernal puzzle boxes; there\u2019s got to be some sharp edges as well. After all, a tame Hellraiser isn\u2019t really Hellraiser at all, and so it\u2019s a relief that Saber appreciates this and won\u2019t be pulling their punches when it comes to their take on the transgressive material.<\/p>\n

About this, Esov affirmed: \u201cWe are fans ourselves. We studied a lot of what makes Hellraiser so unique and appealing, [and] believe that what we came up with captures that true essence both in theme and in audio-visual delivery.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cUnlike traditional horror titles, we do not want to simply scare the player. We want to make them feel discomfort.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo really be captivated and disgusted at the same time when [\u2026] We tried to weave this feeling into interactions, mechanics, story, and cutscenes. For example, there is this discomforting aspect of body horror in Hellraiser. We really made an effort to incorporate a lot of up-close situations where the player is looking at a body being violated in some way. Sometimes the body is that of the player, even!\u201d<\/p>\n

The thing is, over-the-top violence is fairly commonplace in video games nowadays. What\u2019s more attention-grabbing \u2014 and arguably even more controversial for the censors\u2014is that Revival is going to be equally committed to the sadomasochistic eroticism that defines Clive Barker\u2019s original movie. Again, we refer you to those BDSM orgies from the trailers!<\/p>\n

Reflecting on how that sexual angle has been received by the industry so far, Esov added: \u201cThe reaction [to sex and violence] is definitely different. And I do not think it\u2019s just in video games, it is in all forms of entertainment, in my opinion. But it also often depends on the context. Violence for [violence\u2019s sake] and sex [for the sake of sex] is not something that Hellraiser does. There is a reason for it. It is an integral part of Clive Barker\u2019s work. Without it, it\u2019s not Hellraiser. That said, I do think that this is the right moment for this type of game that pushes the envelope just a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Intrigued by that last part, we asked Esov how conscious he is of the ratings boards\u2019 various hangups and turn-offs, as well as what different companies will allow on their respective storefronts. Is it something that is always in the back of his mind when making the game, or does he not let it influence his decision-making one iota?<\/p>\n

He answered: \u201cTo be honest, when we were starting, we just decided to not think too much about it, especially when we were in the most creative phase of the development. We [agreed] we needed to be 100% committed to delivering a true Hellraiser experience, and that meant that we needed to push the ratings as far as they can go. We engaged in preliminary discussions with some platforms, as we still need to be officially rated.\u201d<\/p>\n

When probed on if there are any particular parts of the game that he\u2019s worried censors might balk at, Esov chuckled: \u201cHah! There are many parts that really approach the edge. Sometimes these are details, other times there are whole sequences. Unfortunately, I cannot describe anything without downright spoiling the story and the content of the game [\u2026] I am eager to hear what ESRB thinks of it!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Explorers in the Further Regions of Experience<\/p>\n

This being an interactive medium, the ESRB isn\u2019t only going to be scrutinizing what you see in Hellraiser: Revival but also what you do.<\/p>\n

For a bit of context, the game\u2019s story is essentially a rescue mission in which you must free a paramour from eternal damnation, after a night of adventurous bedroom fun goes horribly awry. You see, when your girlfriend Sunny is lacerated by the \u201cGenesis Configuration\u201d mid-coitus, you inadvertently summon the extradimensional cenobites, and she gets dragged off to hell as recompense. Talk about killing the mood!<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll then embark on a quest to save her from unimaginable suffering by infiltrating a deranged cult, doing battle with all manner of gnarly beasties, and even facing off against the terrifying Pinhead. In terms of mechanics, there will, of course, be a lot of panicked running away and stealthy evasion on the cards. You know, the kind of disempowering, helpless horror that we\u2019re all well acquainted with after racking up countless hours on Outlast<\/a> and Amnesia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

However, Revival will also be blending these familiar antics with more action-oriented gameplay. Indeed, you\u2019ll be able to give just as good as you get and inflict brutal punishment on certain foes, courtesy of the title\u2019s bone-crunching melee and sticky gunfights. Not to mention, there\u2019s a bit teased in one of the trailers wherein the game seems to transition from being a first-person shooter to a first-person spanker. Which is very on brand for Hellraiser, come to think of it.<\/p>\n

Anyway, the point is you will inevitably need to get your hands dirty at some point. Teasing what this means for the player, Esov explained: \u201cSometimes they will be an active participant [in the adult content], sometimes they will be passive [observers], and occasionally there will be agency, so they\u2019re not forced into looking at it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did encounter some technical challenges [related to this], but nothing really major. If I had to pick one, it would probably be our dismemberment system for combat. We wanted the player to be able to cut off limbs from enemies and do gruesome stuff to them during combat, so we had to build this whole system and production pipeline in order to make it work. It required a lot of effort to be able to pull it off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

If the promise of severed limbs, interactive body horror, and a Mature rating that actually lives up to the label doesn\u2019t sell you on Hellraiser: Revival, then maybe this one is just not for you. And that\u2019s fine because, by its director\u2019s own admission, it\u2019s not gonna be everyone. Company employees included.<\/p>\n

Us sickos will probably love it, though.<\/p>\n

Clive Barker\u2019s Hellraiser: Revival\u00a0is currently in development for PC, PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X\/S.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cOn rare occasions, we had team members request to be switched to a different project because they found…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":449203,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[64,63,15236,191670,134,952,232385,15238,232386,344,268,9480,15239,11220,42,15240],"class_list":["post-449202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-clive-barker","tag-clive-barkers-hellraiser-revival","tag-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-hellraiser","tag-hellraiser-revival","tag-mad-head-games","tag-movies","tag-pc","tag-playstation-5","tag-saber-interactive","tag-steam","tag-topnews","tag-xbox-series"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=449202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449202\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/449203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=449202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=449202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=449202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}