Dredge as a film? This should become reality.
Dredge was one of the big surprise hits on Steam in 2023. Before that, hardly anyone had the Lovecraft-inspired fishing boat sim on their radar. But the user reviews went through the roof, as did the sales figures – the dark indie hit has now sold over a million copies.
However, many would hardly have expected this news: Dredge is now set to be made into a film. This was announced by the developers at Black Salt Games. We summarize all the known information for you.
Dredge als Film
What kind of film will this be? Definitely live action, not game-style animation. The short description says: »Like The Sixth Sense on the water. A down-to-earth, cosmic horror mix of Lovecraft and Ernest Hemingway.«
Hemingway’s novel The Old Man and the Sea is likely to serve as a concrete inspiration, as it is also about a lonely fisherman who struggles with himself and the water with its inhabitants.
1:55
Dredge, the indie phenomenon on Steam, creates a great atmosphere in the trailer
Who is filming Dredge? The game developers are involved, and Story Kitchen acts as a film studio. They, in turn, are currently working on a film adaptation of the action game Sifu. Other projects in the pipeline include Slime Rancher and Vampire Survivors – you can see a pattern of Steam hits.
When is the film coming? So far there is no release period, the film has to be made first. So it will probably take a few more years until it hits the ground running.
That’s what our expert says
Natalie Scherman
@theycallme_lie
If someone had asked me for the most unlikely video game adaptation, Dredge would be one of my top candidates. I didn’t expect that a feature film would actually be announced. And as much as I love the game, the announcement leaves me skeptical at first.
Dredge works so incredibly well as a horror game because I, as the player, am a crucial part of it. Dredge incorporates slight horror, sometimes just allusions – I knit the real horror in my head. I dance on the thin line between the peaceful everyday life of a fisherman and the horrors of the night. I decide for myself how far I venture out into the open sea, while my thalassophobia imagines the wildest stories.
Can this work in a film adaptation? I’m curious to see whether Dredge will manage to retain its unique selling point as a film adaptation, or whether it will join the long line of “you can watch it, but you don’t have to” horror films. As a fan, I remain skeptical until the studio proves me wrong.
Feel free to tell us your opinion about the announcement: Do you think a film adaptation of Dredge sounds exciting? Or do you share Natalie’s skepticism because the indie hit doesn’t necessarily seem like suitable cinema material to you? Would you have preferred animation in this case or are you already looking forward to live-action cosmic horror?
