The Walking Dead: Betrayal is a social deception survival sim from the Project Winter devs
And playtests are starting in August
Project Winter was a snowbound social deduction multiplayer game that had you questioning and/or betraying your friends to hilarious effect. Developers Other Ocean Interactive are now taking that hidden roles formula and chucking some zombies into the mix with the newly announced The Walking Dead: Betrayal. Its reveal trailer sums up the survival and betrayal tug-of-war quite nicely. Though the heartbroken screams of “NOO NOO” arguably steal the show. Take a first look at the backstabbing below.
Up to eight players leave a secure settlement to complete post-apocalyptic chores like gathering canned edible bits or making repairs. Sure, the undead hordes can be a threat. But the bigger danger comes from incognito traitors who plan to double-cross you as they gain more and more supplies.
Much like Project Winter, those heartbreaking betrayals can come from hidden traps, poisoned supplies, or a straight-up axe to the back. But the walker waves add new possibilities, too, as you can lure the braineaters with loud noises or an unexpected skateboard, and you can even blend in with the hordes using a walker skin suit from the comics.
If you’d like to ask paranoid questions such as “Did you poison my canned sweetcorn?” or “Mark, is that you under that rotten flesh mask?” then you can do so very soon. Closed beta tests are starting on August 10th, and you can request access on The Walking Dead: Betrayal’s Steam page.
Project Winter’s survive-and-murder formula worked well enough for Matt Cox (RPS in peace), as the game turned him into a traitorous arse, albeit a funny one. “I love board games with hidden roles, and this is by far the best use of them I've seen in a video game,” he wrote in 2020.
There’s no release date yet for The Walking Dead: Betrayal but it’ll launch on PC for $20.