One of Phasmophobia’s greatest successes is its lasting effect on the horror genre. Multiplayer horror has always had a foothold amongst the subgenres’ finest, but after Phasmo’s release five years ago, the scene has totally exploded with more horror games, both intense single-player experiences and wacky multiplayer romps.
Part of this was certainly thanks to other factors, such as the pandemic keeping people inside, meaning that many were looking for new ways to hang out with friends, but it’s safe to say that Phasmo’s success spurred on the appetite for co-op games we’ve seen recently, like Lethal Company or REPO.
You’d think that Phasmo’s creator, Daniel Knight, would want to keep some of that success to himself, but that’s just not the case.
“There’s definitely some games out there that have taken a lot of inspiration from Phasmo,” Knight tells me. “But the reason why I made the game was because nothing like it existed, and I wanted to play that game. So now that there are all these other games out there, the same as Phasmo, it’s just really good to see. Because at the time, there was nothing, now there’s obviously quite a lot.”
Knight has said previously that the idea for Phasmo came to him out of a simple desire to just have more playable multiplayer puzzle games, oh, and that the horror side of it all was something of a by-product.
Regardless of what his initial intentions are, it’s clear that Phasmophobia has had a lasting effect on the horror genre, with the likes of Demonologist, Devour, and Forewarned all coming out of the woodwork. It may be bad for my blood pressure, but it’s great for me and my multiplayer horror-loving friends.
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