Episode notes
Al and Tim are joined by Will, creative director at Lost Souls Interactive, to talk about his debut horror game Hotel Espir. It is a stealth horror set in a 1942 hotel in the American South, built around a blind antagonist who hunts by sound, where every footstep gives you away. Will explains the studio's "horror with a heart" approach, why they set the game in the deep south and how they handle its difficult themes, the slip from an October 2026 release to October 2027, and the realities of scope creep across a nine person remote team. From there the three of us get into horror games more widely: why indie studios keep returning to the genre, the split between AAA action horror and indie psychological dread, save rooms, ratings, and why the scariest thing is often knowing exactly what is coming and doing it anyway.
Hotel Espir hits Steam in October 2027. You can wishlist it and request the play test now. For socials, Discord and everything else, head to our website. We are grumpy, we are miserable, and we would like to speak to some gamers.