Bloober Group unveils Star Trek: Shadow Frontier starring Michelle Forbes
Bloober Team and Paramount Games Studio officially announced Star Trek: Shadow Frontier on June 6, 2026, a story-driven psychological thriller starring Michelle Forbes as the fan-favorite character Ro Laren.
The Polish developer, widely recognized for its recent work on the 2024 Silent Hill 2 remake, is pivoting to the Star Trek universe to deliver what it describes as a dark, atmospheric sci-fi horror experience. The title is currently scheduled for a 2027 release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
The narrative follows former Lieutenant Ro Laren after she crash-lands on a hostile, uncharted planet while responding to a distress call. This world is described as a “spaceship graveyard” where nothing is as it seems.
Laren must navigate the planet’s corrupted surface and face “twisted creatures” and an unknown entity that attempts to envelop her mind and body. The project marks a significant tonal departure for the long-running franchise by leaning into psychological horror.
Bloober Team is bringing several familiar elements to the project, including the return of Michelle Forbes to voice the Bajoran officer she originally played in Star Trek: The Next Generation. This casting choice anchors the experimental thriller in established lore, even as it explores themes rarely touched upon in the series.
While other games like Tekken 8 crossover news focus on high-octane action, Shadow Frontier aims for a more intimate, claustrophobic survival experience.
Bloober Team crafts a thriller at Summer Game Fest 2026
The announcement at Summer Game Fest 2026 showcases Paramount’s new “unified” development operation, which includes Skydance Interactive and Skydance New Media. Shawn Kittelsen, the head of creative and production at Paramount Games Studio, stated that for Star Trek: Shadow Frontier, it is essential to partner with a studio that can push the legacy forward.
He expressed full confidence in the Polish developer’s ability to do justice to the brand name.
Piotr Babieno, CEO of Bloober Team, noted that his team are lifelong fans of science fiction. He said that by combining horror expertise with the Star Trek universe, they are creating something unique.
The studio’s previous work on the tech-noir title Observer and the 2025 release Cronos: The New Dawn provides a foundation for this venture. Much like the anticipation for the GTA 6 release date, this announcement signals a major shift in how licensed properties are being handled by specialized developers.
This thriller will arrive as a single-player journey, focusing on a single character rather than an ensemble cast. This choice allows the developer to dig deeper into the psychological strain of survival. It represents a different direction from previous narrative titles, such as Star Trek: Resurgence, which was delisted from digital stores in April 2026 due to the end of its distribution license.
Ro Laren survives the spaceship graveyard setting
The “spaceship graveyard” setting in Star Trek: Shadow Frontier serves as more than just a backdrop for exploration. The planet features a corrupted surface and a hostile ecosystem that forces the player to engage with other survivors under duress. This atmosphere aligns with the studio’s signature style of creating deeply immersive environments that keep players on edge.
By using characters like Ro Laren, who was originally a Bajoran officer known for clashing with Starfleet, the story can explore deeper conflict and isolation. The presence of an entity seeking to envelop Laren’s body and mind suggests that players will face more than just physical threats.
This focus on mental fortitude is a hallmark of the developer’s past work on games like The Medium and Blair Witch.
The developer is expected to utilize modern hardware to bring the “corrupted” world to life. This follows local industry trends where titles like the Star Fox Switch 2 update highlight improved graphical fidelity on new systems. For Shadow Frontier, the focus remains on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC architectures to render its dark and twisted creatures.
Release platforms and 2027 development timeline
Star Trek: Shadow Frontier is slated for a 2027 release window, giving it distance from the major releases of late 2026. The confirmed platforms are PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, with no official mention of other consoles as of this announcement. This release strategy ensures the studio can focus on the high-fidelity assets required for its sci-fi horror vision.
Beyond this new Star Trek project, the Polish developer maintains a busy production schedule. They are currently working on an asymmetric multiplayer game based on the Saw franchise and continue to support their existing portfolio, including the 2024 Silent Hill 2 remake. Shadow Frontier, however, appears to be a primary focus for their creative output in the coming year.
The upcoming year will reveal more about the gameplay mechanics, though the teaser trailer has already left fans with more questions than answers. The combination of Michelle Forbes’ return and a “spaceship graveyard” setting provides a strong hook. It remains to be seen if the final product can balance the optimism of the source material with the dark thriller elements the studio is known for.