Bethesda Softworks announced today that it will publish the next survival horror title by the creator of Resident Evil Shinji Mikami. The game is titled The Evil Within and is in development at Mikami's own studio Tango Gameworks.

The Evil Within will be released little more than a year from now (on April the 22nd, 2014)  for PS3, Xbox 360, PC and next generation platforms.

Mikami-san himself released a brief comment with the announcement:

We’re incredibly proud to announce The Evil Within. My team and I are committed to creating an exciting new franchise, providing fans the perfect blend of horror and action.

Interestingly enough, just like Resident Evil (that had the much cooler Biohazard title in Japan) The Evil Within has been given a different (and a lot more cheesy) title for the west. The game will be named PsychoBreak for the Japanese market. You can see the original logo at the bottom of this post.

The title has probably been changed to remind the Resident Evil name, as The Evil Within means basically the same thing. After all PsychoBreak reminds "Outbreak", that is closely related with the word "Biohazard" as well.

We actually find the first details on the story and features of the game in the press release sent for the Japanese market by Zenimax Asia.

The game is being developed using id Tech 5, the latest proprietary engine by id Software that was used for Rage and is the base for the upcoming Doom 4. 

The protagonist is a police officer named Sebastian (セバスチャン: this is the name used in Japan and it may change for the west, for all we know) and when he reaches the scene of a gruesome murder, something mysterious and powerful is laying in wait. Several police officers are killed before Sebastian's eyes, and Before he can run away he's hit on the head and knocked unconscious. He wakes up lost in an environment ridden with death, madness and monstrosities. He will have to understand the situation while fighting to survive in order to unlock the mystery hidden behind his fate, and he will have to face a journey full of fear and terror.

Here are a few promised features:

"Pure Survival Horror" feel: Shinji Mikami will go back to his roots placing the player in a desperate situation in which he'll have to make use of very limited resources in order to survive. This will create a feeling of anxiety, terror and anguish until the end.

Mysterious enemies and brutal traps: While experiencing the horror of the game. players will risk to fall prey of terrible and clever traps. It will be very easy to die due to them, but at times players will also be able to use traps themselves in order to defeat the monsters.

In a world of uncertainty fear is invisible: The world will distort around the player while mysterious enemies will hunt him down. Landscapes, walls, buildings, doors and rooms will change according to the behavior of the player, while monsters will strike suddenly and from unexpected directions.

Supernova of horror revealed: The world will be very detailed and include a deep story and unique characters. The player will be drawn in an environment full of tension and uncertainty that will increase as the story goes on. Only by defeating his fears he will be able to truly enjoy the game.