New Sega Dreamcast Survival Horror Game White Creek Is in Development

Story Bird Studios is developing a new survival horror game for the Sega Dreamcast, with publisher PixelHeart planning to bring White Creek to Sega's discontinued console alongside modern platforms.

Rather than being a port of an older game, White Creek is an original release designed with the Dreamcast in mind. Players take control of exorcist Alicia Morelli as she investigates a cursed town where its possessed residents can either be killed or saved.

The game does not yet have a release date. PixelHeart is currently directing players to pre-register for its upcoming Kickstarter campaign.

PixelHeart describes White Creek as a survival horror game designed specifically for Dreamcast, making the console version a central part of development rather than a later conversion.

Story Bird Studios is developing the game with the style of late-1990s and early-2000s survival horror in mind. Exploration uses fixed camera angles, while players will manage resources, solve puzzles and fight enemies as they investigate the abandoned town.

The Dreamcast has continued receiving independent releases long after Sega ended production of the hardware in 2001, so White Creek is not the console's first new game in decades. Its scale and focus on 3D survival horror, however, make it a notable addition to the system's continuing homebrew and independent scene.

The game is also planned for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.

Alicia carries conventional weapons, but combat is only one way of dealing with the people she encounters. Players can instead attempt to exorcise possessed residents and save their souls. Story Bird Studios says choosing that approach carries its own risks, making the decision between killing and exorcising enemies part of the game's wider survival mechanics.

Alicia's psychic abilities can identify spiritual anomalies in enemies and the environment. Her mobile phone can then be used to photograph and record those anomalies, with the information feeding into exploration and puzzle-solving.

More heavily corrupted souls lead into Exorcism Overdrive sequences. These encounters require Alicia to communicate with the possessed person and use evidence gathered during the investigation to confront their illusions before attempting to free them.

Development remains ongoing, and neither Story Bird Studios nor PixelHeart has announced a launch window for the finished game. The PC version is already listed on Steam as "coming soon," while PixelHeart is directing players to pre-register for the Kickstarter campaign that will support further development.

A physical Dreamcast release is planned, allowing White Creek to run on original hardware rather than existing only as a retro-styled game for modern systems.

For now, the Kickstarter and further development updates are the next confirmed steps, with the final release date still to be announced.