“We need to adapt”: The original “The Long Dark” will receive new DLC, and “Dark Frost: The Long Dark 2” will soon come out of the shadows

Raphael van Lierop, Head of Canadian Hinterland Studio Tell Regarding the further development of the survival simulator “The Long Dark”, and plans to promote the sequel “Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2”.

Image source: Hinterland

The final episode of The Long Dark’s story campaign was released in March, marking a shift in development focus from story mode to survival mode. For the latter, free improvements and two paid additions are in the pipeline.

These add-ons will expand The Long Dark in innovative ways (see trailer below), will cost more than usual, and will likely bypass PS4, Xbox One, and Switch – 85% of the console audience has already switched to current consoles.

Developers are also considering raising the price of survival mode

As part of this plan, Hinterland will transfer some of the assets from Darkfrost 2 to support The Long Dark. The shift in priorities was caused by changes in the gaming industry following the announcement of the sequel in December 2024.

Business models are collapsing, geopolitics is becoming more complex, the future of consoles is clouded, and “eternal” games are losing audiences: “An extremely stable and predictable industry has become more unstable. We need to adapt”.

Hinterland is considering publishers for financial assistance but has not yet found a suitable partner

Development on The Long Dark 2 continues – van Lierop explained that there is a lack of news due to the difficulties of making a sequel to a fan-favorite game. Early access is still scheduled to begin in 2027.

Hinterland expects to host the first gameplay demo of Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2 before the end of 2026 and share final plans for expansions/updates for The Long Dark.