‘Are we going too far with this?’: One of the worst scenes in Outlast had its devs debating whether to add it to the game or not
Red Barrels, developer of the Outlast horror franchise, engaged in heated internal discussions about whether to include a necrophiliac scene in the original Outlast game. The team debated whether the graphic content crossed an ethical boundary and made sense within the game’s narrative context.
The Outlast series is renowned for pushing horror boundaries with increasingly disturbing content across its installments. Memorable scenes include The Groom’s brutal sequence from Whistleblower DLC, finger amputation, and encounters with infant remains in Outlast 2. These moments span the original game, DLC, Outlast 2, and the live service title Outlast Trials.
The developers’ internal debate reflects broader questions in horror game development about acceptable limits for graphic and disturbing content. Ultimately, Red Barrels decided to include the controversial scene, suggesting they resolved to maintain the franchise’s transgressive approach to horror rather than self-censor the extreme imagery.