Original Mickey Mouse now in public domain, so of course he's inspired a horror game

Steamboat Willie is now in the public domain, so as has come to be expected, someone has made a horror game starring a grotesque villain inspired by the original Mickey Mouse.

Called Infestation 88, this upcoming release is following in similar footsteps of slasher film Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and the horrifying Winnie's Hole, and the more directly Steamboat Willie-inspired first-person shooter, Mouse, announced last year. This time, developer Nightmare Forge Games has taken an innocent and beloved children's character and given it a sinister makeover.

You can see a short teaser for it below.

Described as an episodic co-op horror experience, players will control "an exterminator treating sinister infestations caused by twisted versions of classic characters and urban legends."

While the above trailer only gives us a good (ish) look at the Mickey character, pictures on Infestation 88's Steam page also show a giant moth-like creature bearing down on the player (see below).

The studio has promised its game will provide replayability, thanks to "randomised item layouts, unpredictable AI, custom settings, and more". It will also see players progress with different skins and a variety of unspecified "perks, items and other unlockables".

In addition, Infestation 88 will have NVIDIA DLSS support on release.

As for when that will be, for now the developer has simply listed 2024 on its Steam page, so expect it some time this year.