Jacksepticeye's Unannounced Soma Animated Show Falls Apart Unexpectedly

YouTuber Jacksepticeye, whose real name is Seán William McLoughlin, recently shared a disheartening update with his fans in a video titled 'A Bad Month.' He disclosed that he had spent a year working on an animated show based on the survival horror science fiction game, Soma, only for the project to fall apart, leaving him "quite upset."

Soma, developed by Frictional Games, the creators of the Amnesia series, was released in 2015 to widespread critical acclaim. Jacksepticeye, a long-time fan of the game, streamed it extensively upon its launch and has frequently cited it as one of his top favorite video games. His passion for Soma led him to embark on the ambitious project of turning it into an animated show.

In his video, Jacksepticeye discussed the broader challenges he's faced creatively, including several projects that have either been canceled or failed to progress. He revealed that the Soma animated show was a significant endeavor for him, one he was very excited about. He had been in discussions with the game's developers for a year and was ready to move into full production. However, the project abruptly fell apart when an unnamed party decided to take it in a "different direction," a decision that left him deeply upset and without specifics he was willing to share.

The cancellation of the Soma animated show has significantly disrupted Jacksepticeye's plans for 2025. He had planned to focus much of his year on this project, which would have limited his content uploads but resulted in a major creative achievement. The sudden halt has left him questioning his priorities and next steps, describing the past month as tough and frustrating.

Following the release of Soma, Frictional Games went on to release two more titles in their Amnesia series: Amnesia: Rebirth in 2020 and Amnesia: The Bunker in 2023. In the wake of the latter's release, Frictional's creative director, Thomas Grip, expressed the company's intent to shift focus away from horror games to explore other emotional qualities in their future projects. Grip emphasized the importance of immersive fantasy in their games, whether it's being a World War 1 soldier or a robot at the ocean's bottom, and their interest in themes beyond just horror.