Naomi Alderman has relaunched Zombies, Run! with a new eight-part story chapter available from today, roughly six months after the co-creator bought back the fitness app she had originally helped build into one of the genre’s most distinctive titles.
The revival follows a turbulent period for the app, which combined couch-to-5K running plans with immersive audio storytelling set during a zombie apocalypse when it launched in 2012, attracting a dedicated community that stayed with it through multiple development cycles.
That community came close to losing the game entirely after Six to Start, the studio behind it, was acquired by OliveX, a company with interests in crypto and NFT products, and the app fell into a period of decline that saw all but two members of the original team laid off before new episodes were placed on indefinite hiatus.
The turnaround came when Alderman exercised a clause in her original contract that granted her the right to repurchase the app if it was ever put up for sale, a provision she combined with funds from her career as a novelist and a bank loan to complete the buyback.
The new story chapter, titled Back from the Dead, features returning voice actors and familiar characters from the existing run of the game, structured to work for first-time players without alienating long-term fans who have completed the full back catalogue.
That approach reflects a broader philosophy around how Alderman plans to run the relaunched app, with the stated goal being a sustainable operation built around its existing community rather than growth aimed at a future acquisition or sale.
Beyond the new story content, the team plans to introduce smartwatch support for audio playback following fan feedback, an addition that extends the app’s compatibility with the hardware that a significant portion of its running-focused audience already uses daily.
The new eight-part story chapter is available from today, with the relaunched app now downloadable ahead of what Alderman has described as a new era for the game and its community.
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