Why have one horror story when you can have them all? That seems to be the thinking behind Rules of Engagement: The Grey State, an upcoming tactical extraction shooter from Tencent Games' Grey State Studio, formerly Aurora Studio.
The game has been announced with a visually spectacular cinematic trailer that's giving many gamers the chills. But does the game take a too liberal approach to 'borrowing' from other games? Some eagle-eyed viewers think they've spotted heavy inspiration from a wide range of IPs (see our pick of the best game development software if you want to start work on your own monster world).
While there will presumably be microtransactions, Rules of Engagement: The Grey State's 3D realism looks visually impressive for a free game. To be released for PCs in 2026, it will be set during a gold rush in a nightmarish world. Players will have the mission of retrieving a valuable artifact, and fighting with rival groups who are after the same prize.
In promotional materials, the developer bills the setting as a 'horrorverse'. Like the Monsterverse, this is a realm that brings together an array of creatures, with Grey State claiming to have taken inspiration from folklore, mythology and media from various parts of the world.
It seems that the developer may be hoping to enter into deals through which other developers and media companies would see their monsters appear in the world. But some gamers think it's already doing that anyway.
Rules of Engagement: The Grey State using Twisted Demogorgon in trailer? from r/deadbydaylight
The trailer has sparked debates on Reddit and YouTube, where people are picking out influences as varied as the headcrab from Half Life mixed with face hugger from Alien, Trevor Henderson's Siren Head, Twisted Demogorgon from Dead by Daylight, Fiend from Witcher 3 Fiend and Crawler from CoD Zombies. There's a Lovecraftian cthulu in there, and some think the whole think looks like a copy of Beautiful Light.
This is the point, of course. The game's premise is that it brings together a bunch of monsters that are recognisable from pop culture. Perhaps few character designs are ever totally unique, often drawing on inspiration from previous creatures. Dead by Daylight's Twisted Demagorgon skin is directly inspired by Stranger Things, but with permission. If Rule of Engagement doesn't yet have any official collaborations, is it treading close to the line where creative inspiration becomes copying?
You can wishlist the game on Steam.
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