El Paso, Elsewhere (2023), an indie noir game by Strange Scaffold – a studio helmed by Xalavier Nelson Jr., has been acquired for film rights. According to Variety, Colin Stark is slated to produce alongside LaKeith Stanfield and Di Bonaventura Pictures.
El Paso, Elsewhere is a third person shooter in slow motion where the main character – James Savage, a vampire hunter – seeks to stop his ex, a vampire, from destroying the world. Inspired by early retro 2000s graphics, Max Payne, Quake, and Hotline Miami, the game also has Savage save hostages from the motel where his ex resides. The studio describes the game as a “love letter to classic shooters” on their official website.
The D.I.C.E. and NYGA nominated indie game went through several cycles in development, which lasted ten months. It was released on September 26, 2023. Strange Scaffold was created partially in response to the unhealthy working conditions common in the game development industry. Some games the studio developed were Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator (2021) and Sunshine Shuffle (2023). The studio’s creative head, Xalavier Nelson Jr., has worked on many projects before Strange Scaffold, including but not limited to Stranger Things VR (2024), and Hypnospace Outlaw (2019).
El Paso, Elsewhere is also slated to get a mobile port in studio collaboration with indie publisher Frosty Pop. The deal with Frosty Pop funded four new games from Strange Scaffold.