Outlast designer says that one playtester was so upset by the horror series they 'ran out of the studio to go cry outside' and didn't return

Red Barrels' Outlast series has long held a reputation for pushing the envelope further than most horror games, with depictions of violence, gore and nudity that can be shocking even within a medium well versed in delivering scares. But it isn't just audiences who have found the studio's games shocking beyond the virtual horror norm. As co-founder Phillipe Morin recently revealed, there have been numerous instances where people in and around the studio have found working with the material frightening to the point of being traumatic.

In a chat with Gamespot, Morin discussed the studio's unflinching approach to horror, explaining that it wasn't a deliberate attempt to court controversy, and was simply a "personal preference" on Morin and the other co-founders' behalf. "We didn't start like 'Oh, we've got to make the goriest game out there'" Morin explained. "It was just, 'we're making a horror game, so obviously we'll make it gory. …