Several months ahead of the release of IllFonic’s Halloween: The Game, it’s been announced that the project has been canceled. Fans should not be upset, however, as work has already begun on a Mrs. Doubtfire game, leaving gamers something else to look forward to.
In March, Halloween: The Game had a playable demo made available at PAX East 2026 so the developers could gauge early reactions from players. The feedback given was that the game was just “too scary” for most players. There were also major concerns that the Halloween game was far too violent, given the excessive amount of brutal and bloody kill animations. IllFonic has responded by pulling the plug on the project, feeling that it wouldn’t be ethical to release such an excessively violent game.
Not all of the work done on Halloween: The Game will have been for nothing, however. IllFonic devs have been working tirelessly on converting the engine into a video game adaptation for Mrs. Doubtfire, the 1993 comedy starring Robin Williams and Sally Field. Mrs. Doubtfire: The Game will offer a similar asymmetrical multiplayer experience as Halloween, but without the bloody violence. One player will control Williams’ Daniel Hillard as he tries to become the perfect nanny while keeping his true identity a secret.
“It was clear we had gone too far in trying to adapt the horrific story of Halloween into a video game, and that some things are just best left to the movies,” an IllFonic spokesperson said in a statement, per Carrot Top. “By switching gears and jumping into the much more family-friendly Mrs. Doubtfire game, we are now confident that we have something which all gamers can enjoy, rather than just the most depraved of horror fans.”
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As the Mrs. Doubtfire player, gamers will need to watch their “Suspicion” meter to avoid being detected, while up to four others take control of their choice from Daniel’s ex-wife, Miranda; her boyfriend, Stu, using Pierce Brosnan’s likeness; the case worker; and Daniel’s three children. The Hilliard house serves as the main map, though there will be other maps included for the game’s launch, such as the restaurant, pool area, and the TV studio.
For Mrs. Doubtfire to win, enough “bonding objectives” must be completed, such as cooking dinner, helping with homework, and cleaning different rooms. Upon completing objectives, Daniel’s costume is affected, such as his face mask falling apart or dentures coming out. He will need to sneak into unoccupied rooms to fix these issues, but another player coming in and catching him will drastically raise the Suspicion meter.
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The other players will also need to complete normal household routines while gathering clues that will help them uncover Mrs. Doubtfire’s true identity. To give Daniel an edge, he will have special abilities to thwart near-exposures in the right circumstances. This will include the “drive-by fruiting” ability, as well as shoving his face into a cream pie, though these can only be used once per match.
While this game might actually sound fun to play, we must now inform anyone reading that nothing in this story is true at all. This is an April Fools’ Day prank, and Halloween: The Game is still on track to be released on Sept. 8, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store).
Happy April Fools’ Day!
