In 2025, the Painkiller franchise returned with a new installment created by Anshar Studios. The project did not impress some players, including the creator of the original shooter.
Painkiller (2004) developer Adrian Chmielarz, in a conversation with a journalist, answered a question about his attitude towards the modern project.
First, he replied "Next question, please" and laughed, but then continued:
"I know [Anshar], they are good guys, they are trying. They do a lot of outsourcing and from time to time they try to create their own game again, and I appreciate that. But, unfortunately, it seems to me that Painkiller is essentially a Skinwalker: this project has the name \"Painkiller,\" but it has nothing to do with Painkiller. If it were released under a different name, no one would ask questions like: \"Hey, is this a sequel to Painkiller?\".
According to Adrian, Painkiller (2025) is a completely different game — he cannot understand why they took the franchise if everything was changed so much:
I can't understand why you take intellectual property and turn it upside down. What's the point? You take a franchise because you think there was something valuable in it, but there is no trace of its DNA in your game. I find it strange.
The developer expressed the opinion that if the game had been named differently, it could have sold better and the reaction would have been "much more positive"