NAME OF THE WILL Launches in Q1 2027 with HYPER REAL as Publisher

NAME OF THE WILL is scheduled to launch for PC through Steam in Q1 2027. The psychological horror game is developed by Zeitgeist Studio, with Japanese indie label HYPER REAL now serving as its publisher.

The partnership announcement arrived alongside a new trailer and confirmation that an updated demo will be playable at gamescom 2026. Players take the role of Neighbor 3279, a member of a masked cult that records every hesitation, refusal, and perceived disruption of harmony.

Quick Summary

• Official title: NAME OF THE WILL
• Traditional Chinese title: 集體後遺症
• Format: PC game
• Genres: psychological horror, narrative adventure, mystery, point-and-click, and side-scroller
• Developer: Zeitgeist Studio
• Publisher: HYPER REAL
• Release window: Q1 2027
• Exact date: not yet announced
• Platform: PC through Steam
• Listed operating systems: Windows, macOS, and SteamOS/Linux
• Players: single-player
• Price: not yet announced
• Free demo: available through Steam
• Demo content: the opening chapter with an open area to explore
• Protagonist: Neighbor 3279
• Primary setting: the HOPE cult compound
• Facility size: 34 floors
• Leader of HOPE: the Benevolent Father
• Primary mechanic: the Conduct System
• Violation limit: seven strikes
• Consequences: alter story routes and endings
• Gameplay structure: daytime conformity and nighttime investigation
• Day activities: education, interrogations, daily duties, and Reformation rituals
• Night activities: infiltration, hacking, clue gathering, and avoiding the Benevolent Father
• Visual locations: more than 60 hand-drawn scenes
• Narrative choices: influence events and endings
• Ending count: multiple endings; the final number is not confirmed on the updated Steam page
• Languages: English, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Latin American Spanish, French, Ukrainian, Russian, and Simplified Chinese
• Full voice acting: Traditional Chinese
• Indonesian support: not currently available
• Steam Achievements: supported
• Family Sharing: supported
• Content warning: bullying, violence, and suicide
• Award: winner of the A MAZE. 2026 WINGS Award
• gamescom demo: a new demo will be exhibited at gamescom 2026
• gamescom dates: August 26–30, 2026
• Console versions: not announced

Announcement Trailer, Steam, and Key Art

HYPER REAL Takes Over Publishing

Zeitgeist Studio announced HYPER REAL as the new publisher of NAME OF THE WILL on August 5, 2026. The Steam listing has also been updated with the publisher's name and a Q1 2027 release window.

The partnership allows a project previously developed independently to move toward a broader international release. HYPER REAL is a Japanese label focused on independent games with unconventional concepts, visual identities, and narratives.

Zeitgeist Studio Co-Founder and Creative Director Mandy Wong explained that the game's horror is not primarily built around jumpscares or monsters. Its fear comes from being pressured to conform even when every instinct tells the player to resist.

Pricing, an exact launch date, and possible console editions remain unannounced. PC through Steam is currently the only confirmed release.

Living as Neighbor 3279 Inside HOPE

Players awaken as Neighbor 3279, one of the residents of HOPE. The 34-floor compound welcomes people seeking relief from trauma, grief, regret, and the pressures of their former lives.

HOPE teaches that pain leads to freedom, death is the highest honor, and mourning should be abandoned. Its members wear painted smiling masks and watch one another to ensure that the entire community follows the same doctrine.

3279 must present the image of a perfect disciple. The player completes daily duties, speaks with other Neighbors, answers questions during Education, and maintains a clean record to avoid suspicion.

The protagonist eventually begins questioning the rules and the circumstances behind their arrival. Relationships with other doubtful members then create an opportunity to investigate what lies beneath the community's public identity.

The Conduct System Records Every Violation

HOPE's Conduct System records behavior considered disruptive to harmony. Hesitation, refusal, improper answers, and suspicious activity can all increase the player's violation count.

The system permits seven strikes. The resulting score affects events, accessible memories, relationships, story paths, and the ending reached by the player.

Incorrect answers during Education may lead to punishment. Interrogations also create situations in which a response capable of protecting 3279 could place another member in danger.

The player may even be ordered to select a victim for a Reformation ritual and participate in inflicting pain. These decisions determine more than the protagonist's survival, revealing how far the player will go to preserve their disguise.

Blend In by Day and Investigate at Night

During the day, the player follows HOPE's routine. Every statement and movement is observed by masked residents, making the performance of obedience a central gameplay requirement.

Night changes the focus to investigation. Players can hack restricted systems, enter Backstage rooms, collect documents, and inspect areas deliberately hidden from ordinary members.

The Benevolent Father patrols the corridors after dark. Anyone caught exploring prohibited locations risks becoming his next victim.

Clues also appear through artifacts, diary pages, and fragments of 3279's memories. Past trauma gradually overlaps with the present, raising questions about the protagonist's identity and why HOPE brought them into the facility.

Hand-Drawn Horror in Broad Daylight

NAME OF THE WILL uses a daylight horror approach. Threats do not depend entirely on dark corridors; they emerge through brightly lit classrooms, friendly conversations, public rituals, and forced smiles.

Its world combines more than 60 hand-drawn scenes with cinematic animations. The environment draws from the density of Hong Kong apartment complexes before transforming that inspiration into a cult facility that feels both enormous and claustrophobic.

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An electronic soundtrack blurs the boundary between comfort and danger. The Steam page does not identify the composer by name, although official materials describe the music as the work of an award-winning composer.

The writing and presentation earned NAME OF THE WILL the WINGS Award at A MAZE. 2026. The jury praised a demo capable of making players question every sign, neighbor, and part of the environment.

A New Demo Is Heading to gamescom 2026

Zeitgeist Studio and HYPER REAL will bring a new NAME OF THE WILL demo to gamescom 2026 in Cologne, Germany. The event will run from August 26 to 30.

The complete differences between the gamescom build and the free Steam demo have not yet been detailed. The current Steam demo contains the opening chapter and an explorable section of HOPE.

It already introduces Education, surveillance by the Neighbors, investigation, inventory interactions, and the threat posed by the Benevolent Father.

Players unable to attend gamescom can continue to download the free Steam demo and add the full release to their wishlists.

Why This Matters

1) Social pressure is the primary source of horror

Fear grows from the requirement to smile, provide approved answers, and participate in group violence to avoid being branded a traitor.

2) Protecting the protagonist may harm someone else

Interrogations and rituals force 3279 to choose between preserving a disguise and protecting another member from punishment.

3) Day and night create different styles of play

Daylight requires conformity and careful conversation, while nighttime opens stealth, hacking, exploration, and evidence gathering.

4) Conduct affects more than immediate failure

Violations do not simply trigger a game-over screen. The resulting record can alter memories, routes, relationships, and endings.

Game Information

The important details currently known are:

• NAME OF THE WILL is a psychological horror game developed by Zeitgeist Studio
• HYPER REAL will publish the complete version
• the game is scheduled for Q1 2027
• PC through Steam is the confirmed platform
• the Steam listing includes Windows, macOS, and SteamOS/Linux support
• players control a cult member identified as Neighbor 3279
• the story takes place inside HOPE's 34-floor compound
• the Conduct System records up to seven strikes
• behavior scores affect story developments and endings
• daytime activities include Education, interrogations, and Reformation rituals
• nighttime is used to investigate restricted areas and avoid the Benevolent Father
• the game contains more than 60 hand-drawn scenes and cinematic animations
• eight interface and subtitle languages are supported
• full voice acting is listed only for Traditional Chinese
• Indonesian is not currently supported
• a free opening-chapter demo is available through Steam
• a new demo will also appear at gamescom 2026
• the game won the A MAZE. 2026 WINGS Award
• its price, exact date, and console versions remain unannounced
• product details are available through the official NAME OF THE WILL Steam page
• the free build is available through the NAME OF THE WILL Demo page
• publisher information is available through the official HYPER REAL website

Closing

NAME OF THE WILL uses the HOPE cult to create horror through social pressure, surveillance, guilt, and decisions that can sacrifice other characters. Its Conduct System turns every violation into part of the narrative rather than a temporary penalty.

The full game will launch through Steam in Q1 2027 with HYPER REAL as publisher. A free demo is currently available, and a new build will be exhibited at gamescom 2026 before the exact release date is announced.