Yes. Clive Barker is directly involved in Hellraiser: Revival, and not only as a name on the box. He shaped the characters, the themes and the rules of the universe the game is set in, then stayed on as an adviser while the story was built.
Barker created Hellraiser in the first place. The films are based on his 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart, and he directed the first Hellraiser himself in 1987.
What Barker Actually Did on the Game
The fullest account comes from game director Emil Esov, speaking to The Guardian in August 2026. By that telling, Barker helped shape the characters, themes and rules of the universe before moving into an advisory role as the story became a game. He took some convincing to come aboard at all.
Narrative director Antony De Fault described him as "such a permissive partner", giving the studio the freedom to tell its own story rather than policing it. Esov's example of the kind of note Barker gave is instructive about the level he worked at: asking whether they could make the sky more purple in the Labyrinth.
Saber Interactive's own framing is broader. Executive producer Nenad Tomic, writing on Xbox Wire when the game was announced, said Barker "has been deeply involved with the game from the very beginning" and that his guidance was "instrumental in shaping every aspect of the experience, from the visual style and story motifs to the lore and character personalities."
Those two accounts do not contradict each other, but they are different in weight. The first is a journalist's interview with the people who made the game. The second is the publisher describing its own project on announcement day. Read together, "closely involved adviser who shaped the foundations" is better supported than "shaped every aspect".
What Barker Has Said About It
Barker gave a statement when the game was revealed in July 2025:
"Working on the first true Hellraiser game has been a venture deep into the recesses of my darkest imaginings. The dedication that Saber and Boss Team Games have shown is nothing short of remarkable. They've immersed themselves in the Hellraiser universe, capturing its essence, the seductive pull of suffering, the beauty within the grotesque, and forged a narrative that invites players to step beyond the threshold. I'm eager for both the curious and the damned to experience this new chapter in the Hellraiser mythos, where every moment balances on the brink of nightmare and revelation."
Is This an Official Hellraiser Story?
It is a new story rather than an adaptation. Tomic put it this way at announcement: the game "is inspired by the first two Hellraiser movies, drawing from their atmosphere, themes, and mythos. However, its plot is not directly connected to the movies."
Pinhead appears, voiced by Doug Bradley, who first played the character in the 1987 film and last did so in 2005.
For the story itself and where it sits, see the main Hellraiser: Revival page.
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