'Blair Witch' Video Game Will Take Players Back To Burkittsville

The Blair Witch Project will live on with a new Blair Witch game due out this summer. The first-person, story-driven psychological horror game is based on the horror hit, and takes place in 1996 – which conveniently sidesteps the two Blair Witch movie sequels. The storyline involves an ex-cop searching for a boy who went missing in the allegedly haunted woods surrounding Burkittsville. I'm guessing a certain witch may be involved in this disappearance.

I'm not a gamer. I have nothing against video games, I've just never been drawn to them like others. That said, I might have to make an exception for Blair Witch, a new game set in the world of the horror film franchise. I'm a Blair Witch fan (I even love Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2), and I think this looks pretty darn spooky – although that dog better make it out unscathed. Here's the synopsis:

It's 1996. A young boy disappears in the Black Hills Forest near Burkittsville, Maryland. As Ellis, a former police officer with a troubled past, you join the search. What starts as an ordinary investigation soon turns into an endless nightmare as you confront your fears and the Blair Witch, a mysterious force that haunts the woods...

Believe it or not, this isn't the first Blair Witch video game. Back in 2000, a Blair Witch game debuted exclusively for Microsoft Windows. There were three volumes: Blair Witch Volume I: Rustin Parr, Blair Witch Volume II: The Legend of Coffin Rock, and Blair Witch Volume III: The Elly Kedward Tale.

There's a lot of mythology built into the Blair Witch legacy, and I'm all for someone exploiting that to tell further stories. I'd probably prefer another movie – as long as it's better than 2016's disappointing Blair Witch. But if a new film is not in the cards, I suppose I can be content with a video game. Now – who wants to lend me their Xbox One?

The Blair Witch game, which was developed by Bloober Team, creators of Layers of Fear, will be available on Xbox One and PC on August 31.