Tales of Kenzera: Zau developer Surgent Studios has revealed its next game, Dead Take. It will be a narrative-driven psychological horror title published by Palworld maker Pocketpair. Dead Take will explore power and corruption in the entertainment industry, the developer said. The game is now available to wishlist on Steam and will launch sometime in 2025.
Dead Take Set for Launch in 2025
Dead Take will also feature an “impressive” cast of actors, which will be revealed in the coming days, Surgent Studios and Pocketpair Publishing said in a press release. The developer did not share more details about the game.
“In Dead Take, you play as an actor who becomes uneasy when your friend won’t answer the phone,” the game’s Steam page reads. “Delve into the gilded rot of the entertainment industry and show up at the last place he was before he went quiet: a dark, opulent mansion.”
The game is described as a “haunting single-player story shaped by real experiences in the entertainment industry”. Players will have to solve object-based puzzles, splice together video clips and uncover the truth of what happened at the mansion.
“We’re being secretive for a reason,” said Abubakar Salim, CEO of Surgent Studios, said in the press release. “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.’”
A 20-second teaser accompanying the reveal shows the player exploring the mansion and its premises.
Dead Take is published by Pocketpair Publishing and will launch this year on PC via Steam. Pocketpair, the developer behind the hit online survival game Palworld, announced its publishing arm in January. At the time, the studio said it intended to support game development through funding, development assistance and publishing for independent game developers and studios, and announced its publishing partnership with Surgent Studios. Dead Take is the Pocketpair Publishing’s first project.