Those who enjoy being scared out of their wits have one less game to look forward to in 2026: Ontos, the latest from Amnesia and Soma developer Frictional Games, has been delayed to 2027.
In an X post announcing the news, the studio explained that the game is its most ambitious yet “both in terms of its size and scale, and in the depth and layers of our story and gameplay.” This suggests it may be quite a bit more expansive than the studio’s previous output, which has been in the 10- to 11-hour range.
Ontos was announced last December with a trailer that revealed its basic setup. You play as Aditi Amani, who is invited to their deceased father’s messed-up laboratory on the moon base Samsara. “Samsara is no ordinary outpost, but a place where reality fractures, where truths are buried beneath layers of deception and obscurity. As you delve deeper, guided by fragments of your father’s past, you must confront disturbing revelations about the nature of existence – and your place in it,” the Steam description reads.
Players will be tasked with exploring Samsara, a “vast, interconnected labyrinth,” as they “manipulate intricate machinery and engage with analog systems requiring careful calibration and hands-on interaction.”
Beyond the striking imagery and grisly sights teased thus far, there is a great deal of excitement about Ontos because of Frictional Games’ previous work. The studio’s breakout game, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, was deeply influential, inspiring many other slow-burn horror experiences where directly confronting the monster wasn’t an option. The team followed this up with Soma, a science fiction horror nightmare that’s been praised for its storytelling and ruminations on human identity.
While it’s a bit disappointing that we’ll have to wait longer to play Frictional’s next ungodly creation, the upside is that Ontos is escaping one of the busiest release calendars in quite a while. With Grand Theft Auto 6 out this November, publishers have crammed their releases into September and October to escape the impact zone of Rockstar’s impending mega-hit.
It’s gotten so clogged that Capcom recently announced it’s moving Onimusha: Way of the Sword up from Sept. 25 to Sept. 4, while others have gone in the opposite direction, with Valor Mortis being delayed from Sept. 25 to Oct. 13. There can be too much of a good thing, and hopefully, Ontos will have a bit more room to breathe when it comes out next year.
