After nearly three years of silence, Team Clout unveiled fresh gameplay from its extreme horror FPS ILL at Summer Game Fest. The trailer confirmed PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions, introduced new enemy designs, dynamic gore tech and showcased an expanded development team. While no release date was announced, the Twitch premiere drew over 1.2 million viewers and peaked at 350,000 concurrent—placing it among the festival’s most-watched segments.
Developer Update
In a post-trailer livestream, creative director Mara Jensen said the studio has grown from 12 to nearly 50 developers over the past 18 months, adding physics programmers and character animators. “We’ve rewritten major parts of the gore engine twice to deliver visceral dismemberment,” she noted. Documents leaked to Eurogamer also reveal an engine overhaul for real-time flesh deformation and dynamic gore decals.
Key Gameplay Features
Footage highlights a brutality meter that amplifies environmental reactions with each kill, and adaptive AI that targets players based on their loadouts. Heavy shotgun users, for example, may see enemies focus on disabling their legs. Weapons like the “Bonecrusher” shotgun now feature a chainsaw bayonet mod, complete with custom audio–visual effects. Lead weapon designer Raj Patel told IGN that attachments are fully integrated into core combat rather than feeling tacked on.
Studio Background & Market Outlook
Founded in 2018 by veterans of AAA horror franchises such as Dead Space and Resident Evil, Team Clout first released the indie title Vesper, which sold around 150,000 units. Industry analysts at Newzoo project a 12% annual growth for the horror game market through 2027, fueled by releases like Resident Evil Village (10 million+ sales) and the Dead Space remake (2 million+ in three months). With few competitors pushing body horror to ILL’s extremes, Team Clout aims to carve a unique niche—provided it can meet rising expectations.
Community & Critical Response
An unofficial poll on r/HorrorGaming of 5,000 users found 65% want a closed beta, 20% label the project vaporware and 15% remain optimistic. Horror site BloodyPixels wrote that ILL “could redefine on-screen gore” but warned that continued silence on a launch window risks cooling fan enthusiasm. Eurogamer’s digital arena poll ranks ILL as the second most anticipated horror title of 2024, trailing only the Silent Hill 2 remake.
Without an official release date, ILL remains a watchlist entry for gore-driven horror fans. Prospective players should follow Team Clout’s dev diaries and monitor wishlist numbers for the first hint of a launch window.