Little Nightmares 3: Everything We Know

Bandai and Supermassive Games have taken to the stage to lift the veil on Little Nightmares 3, the third installment in the spookily successful survival-platforming saga. It won’t feature Tarsier Studios—the founding father of the franchise—as its developer, but it will, however, recruit a top-tier studio that has nothing but experience in the realm of horror to carry over the torch. It’s Supermassive Games, by the way — the same studio that’s responsible for The Dark Pictures, The Quarry, and Until Dawn. So, no need to fret there, then.

Of course, with Tarsier Studios no longer in the picture, and not to mention having little to no influence over the future of the franchise, it does leave us to wonder what sort of direction Little Nightmares 3 will steer towards. Regardless, it’s a sequel that’s been on everybody’s wishlists for quite some time, so we’re not about to cause a ruckus over who does what and what goes where. Little Nightmares 3 is en route — and it’s coming a lot sooner than we would’ve expected. Here’s what you need to know about it.

What Is Little Nightmares 3?

Little Nightmares 3 is an upcoming co-op survival-platforming game by Supermassive Games, and the first in the series that’ll look to cut ties with original creator Tarsier Studios. Due to this split with the founding father of the franchise, it’s safe to say that there’ll be one or two tweaks to the framework — an adjustment that hopefully won’t damage the heart and soul that Tarsier spent several years stitching together.

“The team at Supermassive are really engaged with the franchise, and they're also bringing us all their knowledge on horror and multiplayer. It's a great collaboration,” Little Nightmares 3 producer Coralie Fenello said in a press release. “We're making sure we're keeping the DNA from those first two games.”

Story

To cut it short, you don’t need to have already played the first two entries in the Little Nightmares series to understand the third. That’s because Six, the hero of the first, and Mono, of the second, will not feature in the third, apparently. Instead, the upcoming sequel will look to cast its focus on two new heroes — Low, and Alone. So, we can go ahead and say goodbye to the Pale City and all its inhabitants, basically.

While details surrounding the third installment are a little scarce, we do know that it’ll center its narrative around a seemingly vacant desert city known as Necropolis—a forsaken world in which our two new heroes, Low and Alone, will be tasked with uncovering the truth behind the city’s inhabitants, The Dwellers.

Gameplay

Gameplay in Little Nightmares 3 won’t deviate much from the original blueprint that Tarsier Studios had built several years ago, so we can definitely expect to see our fair share of platforming and puzzle elements. What’s new this time, however, is the game’s ability to undertake not just the one player’s actions — but two. According to the devs, Little Nightmares 3 will feature a two-player co-op mode, which will allow both players to experience the same campaign either locally or online. About time, too, what with Little Nightmares 2 passing up the opportunity to make Six and Mono a two-piece back in 2021.

We’re not saying there’ll be combat in Little Nightmares 3, but from the looks to the footage that was posted earlier this week, both Low and Alone will have access to tools — a giant wrench, and a bow and arrows, respectively. So, it could be that the gameplay will stretch a little further than standard puzzle-solving, after all. Only time will tell on that one.

Development

Following Amplifier Game Invest’s acquisition of Tarsier Studios back in 2019, it was announced that Tarsier would no longer be continuing with the Little Nightmares series, and would instead turn its attention to another type of of IP. Not that this stopped Bandai Namco, the owner of the trademark, from cashing in on a sequel, mind you. Due to the series’ popularity, Bandai later announced that it would be returning to the IP to bring a new developer to pick up the slack. Well, surprise surprise, that developer in question wound up being none other than Supermassive Games, creators of The Dark Pictures and The Quarry.

The good news is, Supermassive Games isn’t exactly a new friend to the world of of Six and Mono, as the team actually helped build Little Nightmares 2 alongside original developer Tarsier Studios. So, in case you had any concerns about that, don’t sweat it — this isn’t Supermassive’s first rodeo.

Trailer

Although we’ve yet to fully knuckle in on a concrete release date, we do at least have a bit of gameplay footage to tide us over. But don’t let us spoil it for you. If you’re keen to see the future of Little Nightmares and the various shades of atrocities it’ll look to host, then be sure to check out the latest announcement trailer above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Little Nightmares 3 will be coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC via Steam at some point in 2024. As for when in 2024 is still anybody’s guess, though then general consensus is that it’ll find its way to storefronts sometime around October 2024. Don’t shoot the messenger, though — this is mere speculation. That said, if there is some hint of truth behind the rumors, then we can expect to see the third leg of the Little Nightmares anthology at some point in late Q3 2024.

Interested in staying up to speed with Supermassive Games’ Little Nightmares 3? If so, then be sure to check in with the team over on their official social feed for all the latest pre-launch updates here. If anything pops up ahead of its 2024 launch, we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Little Nightmares 3 when it comes to consoles and PC next year? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.