Say Hello to Rules of Engagement: The Grey State’s Horrorverse

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Grey State Studio recently released the first trailer for their new horror shooter, Rules of Engagement: The Grey State, and it looks very promising. While other horror extraction shooters like Hunt: Showdown and Witchfire are available, this game is different. The studio is creating a “horrorverse” – a universe where they can tell many different horror stories, rather than just one. They’re asking why limit themselves to a single tale when they can explore them all.

Game Rant recently spoke with Bo Chen, Head of Marketing and Communications at Grey State Studio, and Ray Fan, Lead Game Designer for *Rules of Engagement: The Grey State*, about the game’s development and the inspirations behind its horror elements, particularly their unique concept of a “horrorverse.” Because horror extraction shooters are a relatively small genre, *Rules of Engagement: The Grey State* could differentiate itself by drawing on horror media from around the world to create this immersive “horrorverse.”

What Rules of Engagement: The Grey State’s ‘Horrorverse’ Entails

The creators of *Rules of Engagement: The Grey State* have established a unique game setting called the “Horrorverse.” This world draws on a wide range of scary creatures from legends, myths, and popular culture – think cryptids from both Eastern and Western traditions, and even famous monsters from online stories. Interestingly, the idea for this “Horrorverse” was inspired by a well-regarded horror movie from 2011.

Speaking on how Rules of Engagement: The Grey State‘s “horrorverse” works, Chen recalled,

We started with the idea of a game where players could create monsters. As we developed that, we thought, ‘Why limit ourselves to just one type? Let’s include *every* kind of monster imaginable!’ The movie *Cabin in the Woods* was a big inspiration – it features a facility filled with all sorts of creatures, and we wanted to capture that same sense of variety.

can think of, and we just thought that was a really cool idea.”

Grey State Studios is taking an open-minded approach to horror, and a key goal for their game, *Rules of Engagement: The Grey State*, is offering players a lot of variety. According to the developers, they specifically wanted to include different types of monsters to see how each one would change the way the game is played. This focus on variety heavily influenced the game’s design, with the monsters intended to create more dynamic and unpredictable player-versus-player experiences.

The ‘Horrorverse’ Approach Sets Up a Promising Future for Rules of Engagement: The Grey State

A key advantage of fully embracing horror elements in *Rules of Engagement: The Grey State* is that it opens up endless opportunities for the game’s future. The developers, Chen and Fan, imagine a model similar to *Dead By Daylight*, where *Rules of Engagement* could feature crossovers with other popular horror franchises and include well-known monsters from across the horror genre.

Chen points out that observant players may have noticed Hong Kong-inspired buildings and creatures drawn from Chinese legends in the game’s first trailer. However, *Rules of Engagement: The Grey State* intends to pull horror inspiration and creature designs from cultures worldwide. Chen shared that the game’s ultimate goal is to create a truly globally-influenced experience.

We plan to explore adding more monsters to the game, carefully introducing them one at a time to see how they fit.

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2025-10-15 20:04