Jacksepticeye's Secret Soma Project Canceled

Popular YouTuber Jacksepticeye has disclosed that he dedicated a year to developing an animated series based on the game Soma, only for the project to collapse, leaving him deeply disappointed.

In a recent video named 'A Bad Month,' Jacksepticeye, whose real name is Seán William McLoughlin, confirmed the show's existence and its subsequent cancellation.

Soma, a critically praised survival horror sci-fi game from Frictional Games (the creators of Amnesia), was released in 2015. Jacksepticeye broadcast extensive playthroughs when it launched and frequently cites it as a personal favorite.

During the video, Jacksepticeye discussed a creatively challenging period marked by several projects being canceled or stalling before they could be shared. After expressing frustration over his recent lack of content, he revealed the details of the Soma show.

“I had a major creative project I was incredibly enthusiastic about. I'm unsure if I'm even permitted to discuss it, but I’ll mention it anyway—if not, this segment simply won't appear,” he stated.

“I intended to create a Soma animated series. I adore Soma—it ranks among my top five, or at least top ten, games of all time. I have immense love for that game; its narrative is among the finest in gaming.

“I was tremendously excited to pursue this. We had been in discussions with the developers for about a year and were prepared to enter full production. I was eager to announce it, engage with the community, and fully immerse myself in sharing the process.

“I wanted to stream the entire game in a single video. So, I decided to delay that plan until we could officially announce the series. That's why I haven't done it yet.”

Jacksepticeye continued, explaining the project dissolved suddenly when an unnamed party expressed a desire to go in "a different direction." He chose to omit specific details due to his profound disappointment.

“We were making excellent headway, and then everything unraveled unexpectedly,” he shared.

“I won't delve into the specifics of what transpired, as I'm quite upset about the outcome. Essentially, it was a case of 'we're pursuing a different direction,' and that was really disheartening.”

Jacksepticeye did not identify the other parties involved. IGN has reached out to Frictional Games for comment.

The cancellation of the Soma animated series completely upended the YouTuber's plans for 2025.

“I had structured a significant portion of my year around it. I thought, 'I won't be able to upload as frequently because I'll be pouring all my energy into this project. But at least I'll have an amazing creative endeavor to present.' I envisioned sharing it with everyone, discussing it together, and being part of a collective experience. Then it all fell through.

“Consequently, all my annual plans are in disarray. What's the priority now? What should I focus on? I'm uncertain. The past few weeks have involved numerous calls. It's been overwhelming—a difficult month. I took time off and have little to show for it. It's incredibly frustrating. I despise that feeling.”

Since Soma's release, Frictional Games has launched two more Amnesia titles: Amnesia: Rebirth in 2020 and Amnesia: The Bunker in 2023. In July 2023, following The Bunker's launch, Frictional's creative director Thomas Grip indicated the studio aims to reduce its focus on horror to explore a broader range of emotions.

“While all our games incorporate horror elements, our core goal is to create a playable sense of immersion,” Grip explained.

“We want to provide players with an immersive fantasy, whether that's being a World War I soldier trapped in a bunker or a robot stranded at the ocean's depths.

“Horror naturally places emotions at the forefront, an area where games excel. However, we are also investigating themes beyond simply creating spooky experiences.”