Inside and Limbo studio's long-in-the-works third game resurfaces in new concept art

It's been over seven years since Limbo and Inside developer Playdead first began teasing its mysterious third project and now – nearly five years since Eurogamer last has caused to write about a sneaky bit of concept art – Playdead has shared a handful of new images, seemingly confirming (in case there was any doubt) the project is still alive and well.

A first enigmatic bit of concept art for Playdead's untitled third game was first shared by the developer in 2017, around six months after Inside launched to critical acclaim. At the time, the studio confirmed work was underway on its “next adventure”, with the accompanying artwork pointing to a lonely adventure with sci-fi undertones.

Since then, further bits of atmospheric concept art have sporadically surfaced – first on social media in 2018 and then buried in some online jobs the following year – seemingly pointing to an adventure in which a lone space traveler wanders a desolate planet filled with abandoned tech listing. About all we've conclusively learned of the mysterious project in that time, again thanks to Playdead's jobs pageis that it's a “third-person science fiction adventure set in a remote corner of the universe.”

Currently, the Copenhagen studio is advertising a substantial number of job openings – ranging from VFX artist to technical director – and it's now re-promoted its jobs page on social media with a lovely new bit of concept art for project number three, this time showing our tiny protagonist looking slightly aloof next to something resembling farming equipment. A second new bit of art, appearing on both the jobs page and in Playdead's header, shows a stretch of pipes and looming cylindrical buildings in a bleak blanket of snow.

None of this gets us closer to learning anything more tangible about Playdead's persistently enigmatic game, of course, but it's reassuring to know things are still ticking away behind the scenes. And let's not forget, Inside also had a long gestation period – its development took around seven years, beginning shortly after Limbo's release in 2010 – and that, as Eurogamer's Recommended review agreed, was definitely worth the wait. But while work on Project 3 continues, you can always spend the time with developer Geometric Interactive's Cocoon, the most recent game from Limbo and Inside designer Jeppe Carlsen, which was named Eurogamer's Game of the Year in 2023.