The Evil Within Creator Argues That People Are Harder to Scare Than Before

Shinji Mikami, the creator of Resident Evil as well as the upcoming horror project, The Evil Within, thinks that people aren’t as easily scared as they once were. Speaking to Edge, Mikami argued that most people have figured out the common tropes of horror, making it tough to scare them.

"Not much has changed when it comes to instilling terror in the player," he said. "But people have got used to the tropes of horror and they know what’s coming next, so in that sense it is harder to make them afraid.

"The scariest parts will be when you encounter enemies that cannot be killed with a gun. Even if you shoot them they won’t die, so you’ll have to run or use a trap to beat them. That should be fun – and also scary.”

Even if players don’t find games as scary, Mikami believes that development has its certain frightening moments – mostly those that are busy and long winded.

"Making games is always like a rollercoaster: really fun times, but also really busy times,” he continued. “When you ride a rollercoaster, the uphill part is scary and fraught and lasts for a long time, and the downhill part – the fun, exhilarating part – is over in a flash."

If you’re interested in seeing if his game is actually scary, take a look at some of The Evil Within’s gameplay. Otherwise, wait for the project to hit store shelves next year.