The Walking Dead: Betrayal is a newly announced eight-player social deduction game reminiscent of Innersloth’s Among Us. Published by Skyboud Games and developed by Other Ocean Interactive, The Walking Dead: Betrayal players must work together against the roving undead while watching their backs for Traitors in their midst.
Skybound Entertainment is best known as the publisher of comics like The Walking Dead. The company established its gaming subsidiary Skybound Games in 2018. Meanwhile, Other Ocean Interactive is primarily known for the social deduction game Project Winter. Released in 2019, Project Winter enjoys a Very Positive rating on Steam.
Skybound Games and Other Ocean Interactive revealed The Walking Dead: Betrayal with an announcement trailer on Wednesday. Marketed as “A Project Winter game,” the similarity should be evident to anyone familiar with Other Ocean Interactive’s critically acclaimed social deduction survival game. Survivors will need to cooperate and communicate as they cook, craft, gather supplies, and hold back the ever-present undead hordes. At the same time, the hidden Traitors undermine their efforts and secretly bump Survivors off one by one. However, death is not the end in The Walking Dead: Betrayal, as dead players can return as undead Walkers to seek revenge.
The Walking Dead: Betrayal trailer opens with players setting out from their stronghold searching for supplies. The expedition succeeds thanks to good teamwork and communication, but it’s not long before the Traitors make their move. Traitors who get themselves alone with a Survivor can always eliminate them using guns and melee weapons. However, Traitors may need to get creative if they hope to avoid detection. Examples from the trailer include planting bombs on supply containers or deliberately releasing packs of Walkers to serve as a distraction. The new game is on its way later this year, with an open beta starting August 10.
Given its popularity, Among Us is most people’s go-to example of a social deduction game, and The Walking Dead: Betrayal seems like a great game for Among Us fans who also fancy a bit of zombie survival. However, Among Us did not invent the social deduction genre, which arguably originates with the party game Mafia from 1986. Early video game examples include 2003’s Space Station 13 and “Trouble in Terrorist Town” from Garry’s Mod. The common element of all these games is that an unaware majority must flush out a secret minority attempting to undermine them from within.
However, most social deduction games only need players to worry about each other. Project Winter adds wilderness survival and dangerous animals to the mix, with The Walking Dead: Betrayal upping the threat with the addition of the franchise’s titular Walkers.
The Walking Dead: Betrayal launches on PC in 2023.