Hi everyone!

I know it might sound a bit cliché, but after watching the Dexter series, I was really impressed by how well it was crafted, both narratively and psychologically. It got me thinking about how amazing a Dexter-inspired game could be with today’s graphics and modern gameplay standards. That’s why I wanted to pitch a game idea and see if anyone would be interested in collaborating or providing suggestions on how to bring it to life.

Concept:

A PEGI 18 open-world game (not as large as a GTA-style open world, but something more contained) where the player controls Dexter Morgan, following his "code" and carrying out assassinations in a methodical manner. The player would need to prepare each kill by covering the room with plastic, ensuring no witnesses, and leaving no evidence, just like in the series.

Core Mechanics:

• Open world with main and side missions involving the preparation and execution of murders.
• Forensic investigation: Dexter would need to investigate his victims (criminals who escaped the justice system) before eliminating them.
• Crime scene planning: The player would be responsible for setting up each crime scene, choosing the location, covering the room in plastic, selecting the right tools, and making sure no evidence is left behind.
• Stealth and discretion: Maintaining a low profile is key—don’t leave fingerprints, clean the crime scene thoroughly, and dispose of the body without getting caught.
• Dual life: There would be a balance between his life as a forensic analyst for the Miami Police Department and his secret life as a serial killer. During the day, he needs to complete his job, while at night, he covers up his crimes.

Graphic Style:

I envision utilizing modern-day graphics similar to games like Hitman or The Last of Us, with a dark, realistic atmosphere that reflects the tone of the series.

Inspirations:

I’ve drawn inspiration from games like Hitman, where planning is critical, but I want to take it further by adding more narrative and psychological depth. Investigation, stealth, and forensic elements would play a crucial role in the gameplay.

Why I’m asking for help:

I know this is an ambitious project, and unfortunately, I don’t have any experience in game creation or programming. That’s why I’m looking for any help—whether it’s developers interested in collaborating, suggestions on tools or game engines, or general advice on how to make this concept a reality

suggestions on tools or game engines, or general advice on how to make this concept a reality

Based on the description and the comparable products, I would expect $150-250 M USD and about 2-3 years. Maybe another 100M if you want it to be blockbuster, plus a quarter billion for marketing to guarantee it is a successful.

Your comparable games (except Hitman) are in the 250M-500M range for development costs, but of course making it smaller will save a few million. Development is roughly ⅓ of the total cost, and marketing typically equals or exceeds the development budget.

With a large studio working under contract the bulk of the world could be in place within a year, because stock worlds are straightforward. Faster if they are using stock assets or assets they already own, much longer if they are modeling from scratch.

The fine details of the mechanics and puzzles will be the hardest technical problem, requiring plenty of playtests to ensure it is accessible to all markets.

If you dumped your GTA and Last Of Us comparable ideas, limited it to a subset of what's in Hitman, Google says the first one had a budget of 35M in 2000, Hitman 2 budget doesn't show up but was likely in the 40M range, and Hitman 3 was 22M since they reused so much, then you're probably in the 20M ballpark for main development, that much again in marketing, and that much again in pre-production, post-production, operations, bizdev, and other costs. Even if you cut it down a lot, high 7-digit or low 8-digit budget for something minimal, high 8-digit if you want enough marketing to have a good chance of breaking even financially. And that's assuming you could find a fit in the market, which has changed over the years.