[2][3][4][5] The original story was based on the writings of H. P. Lovecraft; later games in the series drew inspiration from other sources including voodoo, the Wild West, and the works of H. R. Giger.

Developed by Infogrames and released for PC in 1993, Alone in the Dark 2 was a drastic departure from the original game, being more action-oriented than its predecessor, with a much greater emphasis on firearms and shootouts, and resulting in more difficult combat.

Developed by Pieces Interactive, Alone in the Dark is a reimagining of the original 1992 video game in a similar style to the Resident Evil remakes.

The game features a single-player narrative set in the 1920s, where players can choose to play as Edward Carnby (David Harbour) or Emily Hartwood (Jodie Comer), as they make their way through Derceto Mansion to uncover the mysteries within.

In 1924 (Alone in the Dark) he is commissioned by an antique dealer to investigate a piano in the loft of the Louisiana mansion Derceto, which was abandoned after its owner Jeremy Hartwood committed suicide.

On Christmas Eve 1924 (Alone in the Dark 2) Carnby goes on to solve a case involving the kidnapping of young Grace Saunders after the investigating procedures of his deceased partner Ted Stryker, with all the clues leading to an old California mansion named "Hell's Kitchen"[33] and an infamous gangster who inhabited it.

In July 1925 (Alone in the Dark 3) he is called to investigate the disappearance of a film crew at a two-bit ghost town known by the name of Slaughter Gulch located in the Mojave Desert in California.

He teams up with Aline Cedrac, a young University professor specializing in ancient Indian languages, on a mission to Shadow Island.

[34] When Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare was made, the setting was moved from the 1920s to 2001, and a background legend was made up in order to explain that Edward Carnby belonged to a lineage of Shadow Hunters who were born the 29th of February of every 40 years and raised as orphan children in St George's Orphanage, all of them going by the name of Edward Carnby.

The name is depicted as a literal anglicized form of "El War Qarn'bi", which means "the one who battles evil incarnate and hunts out the shadows".

Taking place in 2008, the game claims that there has only ever been one Edward Carnby, who has been possessed since the late 1920s, and is now over 100 years old, though he retains a youthful appearance.

Alone in the Dark: Illumination takes place in the mining town of Lorwich, Virginia and harkens back to the series' Lovecraftian background.

Ted is actually implied to be Edward Carnby himself living under an assumed identity, still alive in the modern era due to the events of the 2008 Alone in the Dark game.

Shortly after Alone in the Dark's initial release, a major disagreement between the team and Infogrames' director (Bruno Bonnell) took place regarding the direction of the sequel.

In 2009, a low-budget sequel titled Alone in the Dark II was released, starring Rick Yune as Edward Carnby and featuring an entirely new cast and a story centered on witch hunting.

Written by Jean-Marc Lofficier and drawn by Matt Haley and Aleksi Briclot, it takes place just before Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare.

It stars Edward Carnby and introduces Aline Cedrac, both on the trail of a mysterious lost city of Aggartha in Tibet.

The comic also features Frank Stone, a young scientist who accompanies Aline, Ganesha, a fortune hunter, and Dr. Leng, a wise man who lives in his private flying ship along with his beautiful assistant Monplaisir (the two characters also appear in a French comic book based on "Motor Mayhem").