Just over a year after the release of its debut game Tales of Kenzera: Zau, Surgent Studios has unveiled its next project, and I don't know what I expected but it definitely wasn't this. Dead Take is a first-person psychological horror game the studio says "will peel back the entertainment industry’s glittering facade to expose its darkest secrets."
Dead Take puts players in the shoes of an actor in search of their friend, who was last seen at a "dark, opulent mansion," apparently the site of a glamorous party held by a powerful executive—but that's now gone oddly quiet. You'll solve "object-based puzzles" as you make your way from the mansion's gate to the theater deep inside, discovering and splicing together video clips along the way to discover the truth of what happened within the now-silent walls.
Shades of The 7th Guest, perhaps, but Dead Take's more grounded promise of "a haunting singleplayer story shaped by real experiences in the entertainment industry" has the potential to be an even grimmer journey into awfulness.
"Discover a side of the entertainment industry only discussed in whispers, full of cruelty and sordid gossip, memories of roles gone wrong, unsettling audition tapes and shadowy figures with the power to make or break your career," the Steam page says.
"Make your way through opulent and meticulously hand-crafted 3D rooms, full of tools and props inspired by real-world film sets, accompanied by composer Ross Tregenza's chilling original score."
(Tregenza's previous credits, by the way, include Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Cyberpunk 2077, Deathloop, Helldivers 2, and Deathsprint 66, so that seems pretty solid.)
Surgent said Dead Take will feature "an impressive lineup of actors" who will be announced in the coming weeks.
"We're being secretive for a reason," Surgent Studios founder and CEO Abubakar Salim said. "The subject matter of this game is delicate, and it hits close to home. When it comes out, and it won't be long until it does, I want players to think, 'I can't believe they actually did this'."
Dead Take is also notable for another reason: It was actually first revealed in January, without a title, as the first partnership for Palworld developer Pocketpair's new publishing arm. Salim said at the time that his studio's new game "will be short and weird, and we think players will be interested in what we have to say."
Dead Take is expected to be out later in 2025, and is up for wishlisting now on Steam.
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