Surgent Studios has unleashed a spine-chilling revelation in the gaming world: their upcoming psychological horror title Dead Take, featuring an unprecedented collaboration between two of gaming's most celebrated voice actors. Neil Newbon, immortalized as Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3, joins forces with Ben Starr, the powerhouse behind Final Fantasy 16's Clive Rosfield and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Verso. This unexpected pairing headlines a twisted narrative set against Hollywood's glittering facade, promising players an immersive descent into the entertainment industry's darkest corridors. Slated for a 2025 Steam release through Pocketpair Publishing, Dead Take represents a critical gamble for Surgent Studios following financial turbulence after their debut title Tales of Kenzera: Zau underperformed commercially despite critical acclaim.

Star Power and Sinister Storytelling

Newbon transforms into Chase Lowry while Starr embodies Vinny Monroe, protagonists navigating a labyrinthine Hollywood Hills mansion where opulence masks unspeakable horrors. The game's premise revolves around an actor's frantic search for a vanished friend, exposing systemic corruption through escape room-inspired puzzles and a revolutionary live-action clip splicing mechanic. Creative Director Abubakar Salim revealed that authentic industry horror stories shared during development with both actors became foundational to the narrative. "Their firsthand experiences with the entertainment machine fueled this project's unsettling authenticity," Salim noted in recent press materials.

Innovative Gameplay Mechanics

Dead Take introduces groundbreaking interactive elements:

🔍 Cinematic Puzzle Integration

Players navigate environments ranging from neon-drenched dance clubs to eerie red carpet galas while solving environmental riddles. The centerpiece remains an in-game cinema where players must strategically combine discovered live-action footage to reveal crucial narrative clues.

🎭 Psychological Depth

Early footage suggests disturbing psychological layers, including:

• Hallucinatory sequences blurring reality

• Moral choice systems impacting character relationships

• Environmental storytelling through decaying luxury

Trailer analysis confirms a mysterious third character named Willie, whose connections to both protagonists hint at a complex web of industry betrayal. This character's brief appearances—often in distorted reflections—suggest supernatural elements permeating the otherwise grounded setting.

People Also Ask

💬 What platforms will Dead Take release on?

Currently confirmed for Steam with console ports under consideration pending initial reception.

💬 How does Dead Take differ from Surgent Studios' previous game?

Unlike the Metroidvania structure of 2024's Tales of Kenzera: Zau, this represents a radical shift into psychological horror with interactive cinema mechanics.

💬 Is there multiplayer functionality?

Developers confirm a strictly single-player experience focusing on narrative immersion.

💬 What rating is Dead Take targeting?

Industry insiders anticipate an M-rating given the mature themes of psychological manipulation and industry exploitation.

Make-or-Break for Surgent Studios

The project carries immense weight for the fledgling developer. Surgent Studios faced well-documented financial strain after Tales of Kenzera: Zau's commercial shortcomings despite its BAFTA nomination and 84 Metacritic score. Partnering with Palworld creator Pocketpair's new publishing label provides crucial backing, though industry analysts note the horror genre's notoriously fickle audience. "This is textbook high-risk, high-reward development," remarked GamesIndustry.biz senior editor Brendan Sinclair. "Banking on star power while innovating mechanics could either redefine narrative horror or become a cautionary tale."

Trailers and Teasers

The announcement trailer offers haunting glimpses:

• Starr's character frantically rewinding film reels

• Newbon examining blood-smeared audition scripts

• Distorted reflections in Oscar statuettes

• Quick cuts of Willie's silhouette in archival footage

These visuals establish an atmosphere where every frame feels charged with hidden meaning, encouraging obsessive frame-by-frame analysis from horror enthusiasts.

Industry Implications

Should Dead Take succeed, it could establish:

1. Surgent Studios as a premier narrative-focused developer

2. Pocketpair Publishing as a serious player beyond Palworld

3. Newbon and Starr as bankable horror leads

Conversely, another commercial stumble might jeopardize Surgent's future. This tension between artistic ambition and financial necessity mirrors the very industry corruption the game seeks to expose, creating an unsettling meta-narrative around its development.

As the gaming world anticipates this genre-bending experiment, Dead Take emerges not just as another horror entry but as a potential turning point for everyone involved. The fusion of Hollywood's nightmares with gaming innovation, powered by two of the medium's most magnetic performers, positions this project as one of 2025's most intriguing—and precarious—creations. Much like its protagonists searching through darkened corridors, Surgent Studios navigates high stakes where triumph could mean redemption and failure might spell oblivion.

💀 The chilling promise of Dead Take ultimately brings us full circle: just as its characters confront the industry's monstrous underbelly, Surgent Studios confronts gaming's ruthless commercial realities, with Neil Newbon and Ben Starr's star power lighting the way through both fictional and actual darkness.

Trends are identified by The Verge - Gaming, which frequently explores the intersection of narrative innovation and industry risk in the gaming sector. Their recent features on psychological horror titles underscore how projects like Dead Take, with its star-studded cast and experimental mechanics, reflect a broader movement toward immersive storytelling and high-stakes development gambles within the industry.