The creative director of South of Midnight admitted that he wouldn't have risked financing the game if he were in Microsoft's position
Although the adventure action game South of Midnight was well-received by audiences and critics, it did not become a commercial hit. In an interview with MinnMax, the game's creative director David Sears stated that this was predictable, and South of Midnight was fortunate to secure support from Microsoft.
South of Midnight
During the conversation, Sears emphasized that he was grateful for the opportunity to create South of Midnight. However, over time he realized that if he were in the corporation's place, he likely would not have allocated funds for the development of South of Midnight.
As Sears explained, he considers South of Midnight to be one of those games that achieves success over the years. Although such projects may initially go unnoticed, thanks to the ideas inherent in them, they remain relevant for a long time and gradually gain popularity. This kind of scenario is usually not very profitable for corporations, so even during development, Sears feared that one day Microsoft might recognize the potential risks and cut funding for South of Midnight and other similar games.
“It's easy to analyze now. But back then, I was conversing with other game directors, and they were asking questions like ‘How did this happen?’, ‘How did we get so lucky?’, ‘Is this a golden age?’. And I always replied, ‘For now, yes’,” added Sears.
South of Midnight was released in April 2025. The game received several awards, but in the summer of 2026, its developer studio Compulsion Games was at risk of closure as part of Xbox’s restructuring. Subsequently, the leadership of Compulsion Games managed to negotiate with Microsoft for a buyout, and in August the studio became independent.
Sears himself left Compulsion Games a month before the release of South of Midnight and is now working at Orphan Toyz.