Phasmophobia first exploded onto the scene during the pandemic. The co-op ghost-hunting and investigation game was a hit when many people were spending more time at home but still seeking social experiences, and it’s continued to grow and evolve in the years since. Its latest major update adds Nell’s Diner, an Americana-infused map that pairs a desolate stretch of highway out front with an eerily familiar greasy-spoon setup inside. I recently took an early tour of the diner, and I was delighted to see how it hints at the future of what is surely one of the best multiplayer horror games.
Nell’s Diner, Phasmophobia art director Corey Dixon told me, is full of unique assets, many more interaction points than a typical map in the game, and several Easter eggs. Back when the game was developed by a single person, Daniel Knight, his expertise was in programming, not things like art direction, which is why today Phasmophobia still mostly uses some generic assets for things like furnishings, vehicles, and even the feared ghosts themselves. But as Phasmophobia turns a corner and heads toward its exit from 1.0, the team is looking to overhaul its visual identity. That’s been the thinking behind recent map makeovers like the run-down Grafton Farmhouse or its more lavish cousin, the Bleasdale Farmhouse.
In the future, this also means things like character models are getting a re-do and a cosmetics shop is on the way, but before any of that comes Nell’s Diner, a brand-new map that looks quite unlike anything else in the game. Out front, the neon sign hazily buzzes through the fog, luring passersby who might’ve pulled off the road amid a tiring trip. When ghost investigators in Phasmophobia arrive on the scene, it’ll be after something has gone on, which Dixon said is intentionally left for players to determine. A police vehicle is left out front with its lights still spinning, and indoors, some kind of ruckus has clearly occurred, with stools overturned and the kitchen left in a messy state.
