Elastic Games

Elastic Games was an independent Canadian video game developer based in Montreal, Quebec. Its work focused on original multiplayer games, particularly asymmetrical survival horror, with capabilities spanning game design, programming, 3D art and animation. The studio developed its projects using Unreal Engine 4 and became known for Last Year, a multiplayer horror game inspired by classic 1990s slasher films.

The game's central format placed five players against a single opponent, combining cooperative survival with an opposing player-controlled threat. Development followed a Kickstarter campaign launched in late 2014, preceding the studio's formal establishment and full production in 2015.

Development and releases

Last Year: The Nightmare debuted on December 18, 2018, through Discord's First on Discord initiative. The subsequent closure of Discord's digital storefront disrupted the game's exposure and commercial momentum. Elastic Games then substantially revised the experience, including its progression systems, for a Steam relaunch.

That revised edition arrived on December 10, 2019, as Last Year: Afterdark, introducing additional progression mechanics and chapters. The original Last Year: The Nightmare subsequently reached Steam in October 2020. Together, these releases formed the principal published work associated with the studio.

Final years

Operating costs, debt obligations and limited player retention placed the business under financial pressure. Elastic Games filed an assignment in bankruptcy on July 27, 2021, and ceased operations that year. Its assets and intellectual property were subsequently liquidated.

Undaunted Games acquired the Last Year rights out of bankruptcy in 2023 and brought the game back to Steam as a free-to-play release that May. This later revival continued the game's history under a separate developer; Elastic Games itself did not resume operations.