The Casting of Frank Stone was recently announced at The Game Awards, being a tense narrative-driven horror experience from Supermassive Games. Set in the same universe as the massively popular Dead By Daylight franchise, it is no wonder that the announcement has already drawn a lot of attention from curious fans of the wider IP.

Supermassive Games is known for its ability to craft unique horror tales centered around branching narratives and memorable casts of playable characters, and it seems that The Casting of Frank Stone is going to carry the torch of the studio's successful formula. The company also has the benefit of learning from and building off its past releases like Until Dawn and The Quarry, and The Casting of Frank Stone will need to make a concerted effort to stand out against its Supermassive predecessors. With its direct ties to Dead by Daylight and the growing confidence that the studio has in creating these kinds of experiences, there is a clear strategy that can be taken in TCoFS's development that would take this formula to another level.

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The Casting of Frank Stone and Dead by Daylight Crossovers Are Only a Matter of Time

The Casting of Frank Stone was recently announced as a narrative-driven horror title with ties to Dead by Daylight, making crossovers very likely.

The Casting of Frank Stone Can Learn From the Highs and Lows of Past Games

Supermassive Games made its first major mark on the video game industry with 2015's Until Dawn, which saw players control a friend group in a remote location as they navigated lurking horrors. Until Dawn was lauded for its memorable characters and branching storyline, with even the smallest actions that the player makes having a significant impact further down the line.

Building off this success, Supermassive Games would later create similar anticipation around the release of 2022's The Quarry, which employed much of the same premise in a different location. The Quarry was met with less plaudits when it eventually released, with many players seeing it as too much like Until Dawn without justifying the similarities with a more impactful story or characters. This is something that absolutely needs to be considered in The Casting of Frank Stone, and there are some immediate tweaks that can be made to shake-off these past criticisms of the studio.

The Casting of Frank Stones' Success May Lie in its Dead By Daylight Connections

The Casting of Frank Stone is unique thanks to its presence in the Dead By Daylight universe, and this could be key to giving the title its own identity away from past Supermassive entries. Fans are already noting the potential crossovers between Dead By Daylight and The Casting of Frank Stone, and the gameplay of the latter may play into this. For example, Frank Stone is set to be the murderous antagonist of TCoFS, and the game should let players control the figure for certain sequences.

This would add a fascinating element to The Casting of Frank Stone where players are simultaneously working toward the core characters' survival while playing a part in their downfall as Frank Stone, with the potential narrative branches that this could create being obvious. With the general premise and core characters of The Casting of Frank Stone seemingly following the same formula of The Quarry and Until Dawn, turning the game's antagonist into a playable character could be the key to evolving the premise of past Supermassive releases.

With many expecting Frank Stone to be added to Dead By Daylight as a playable killer, gameplay sequences centered around the figure would be a great way to show what abilities he would have as a DbD killer. It's clear that The Casting of Frank Stone needs to do something to move away from the premises of past games, and its Dead By Daylight connections may be the saving grace that it needs.