Dead Take is an upcoming psychological horror game about power and corruption in the entertainment industry, with its cast led by Neil Newbon (Baldur’s Gate 3, Resident Evil Village) and Ben Starr (Final Fantasy 16, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33). While the tales told within Dead Take are fictional, creative director Abubakar Salim (also an actor best known for his role as Bayek in AC Origins) explained that it was the collective experiences of these actors that led to the game’s stories. These three actors, it’s worth noting, have not only performed in video games but also in movies and TV, on the stage, and elsewhere.
Dead Take is set in a Hollywood Hills mansion, where players are tasked with finding a friend who went missing after a party there. Newbon plays Chase Lowry, while Starr plays the missing friend Vinny Monroe. While searching for Vinny, players will have to solve escape room-style puzzles and split together live-action footage to uncover the mysteries of the mansion. Players will uncover stories related to the cruelty, gossip, and shadows that plague the entertainment industry across the board. Game Rant recently spoke with Salim about Dead Take but also about its cast and how Surgent Studios (Salim’s studio) has utilized the world of acting beyond performance.
It Started with a Phone Call
As Salim explained, the world of acting in games is smaller than one might think, with various actors no doubt knowing each other even if they’ve never worked directly together. Important, too, is the fact that every casting process is different. Some games have super secretive auditions, some games give direct offers, and others are more unofficial and informal. Because the world of games is small, Salim was able to call Newbon and Starr in this case, basically just saying, “I’m doing this weird psychological horror game and I want you to play the lead.” Together, the trio worked for two days at a studio in London, Salim and others directing Newbon and Starr. Reflecting on that experience, Salim said,
“It really felt like guerrilla game-making.”
While Salim knew who he wanted for each character in Dead Take throughout the writing process, that connection also relies on the one between himself, Newbon, and Starr. “As actors in games and beyond, Neil, Ben, and I have leaned on each other through some extremely grueling times. We exchanged some of the horror stories that built the foundations of this game,” Salim said.
While the exact situations are fictional, the basis being in a hard truth of the entertainment industry makes it a great area for a horror game to explore. It may have also helped with their performances, which Salim praised,
“Not only do they bring considerable talent to the project as its two leads, but they also helped create a space in which we could all be truly raw and honest. I can’t wait for you to see the calibre of their performances in Dead Take.”
Video Game Acting as Collaboration
- Neil Newbon plays Chase Lowry
- Ben Starr plays Vinny Monroe
One of the best, yet also sometimes most challenging, aspects of video game development is the collaborative nature of the process. Developers of different disciplines have to work together to ship a game. That’s not always the case for actors, however. They can be brought in near the end of development sometimes, or much earlier. They can be given all the info there is to know about the character, or they can know very little in a cold reading. They can work with other actors, except they don’t more often. Acting is not always collaborative in the game industry, but there is an argument that it should be. As an actor, Salim knew to let Newbon and Starr take the reins while he played the role of director, resulting in a strong collaboration for these lead roles:
“I wish you could have seen the energy they brought on set immediately. It’s like turning on a light switch with them. Maybe we’ll release the behind-the-scenes footage someday. One moment they’re themselves, and the next they’ve completely sunk into this character whose lines I’d just sent to them the night before. As an actor, I wanted to be the director I want to see in the world, and for me, that means giving them loose reins to add what they feel in the moment. And, my god, did they add some brilliant things I hadn’t even considered. It was an incredible collaborative experience.”
Salim also recalled an instance where Starr went completely off-script, being so caught up in the moment, and brought out a side of Vinny that no one had considered before—but made perfect sense. For those curious about this moment, Salim would only say that it scared them a little, but that “you’ll know it when you see it.”
Industry Actors Are Having Their Moment
Surgent Studios has a history of leveraging actor talent in non-performance roles. Salim, of course, founded the studio; Alix Wilton Regan (Mass Effect 3, Dragon Age: Inquisition/The Veilguard, Assassin’s Creed Origins) served as an executive producer for Tales of Kenzera: ZAU.
This, of course, is possible because of how small the world of industry actors is, but it is also important as actors face numerous hardships in the industry. The recent SAG-AFTRA strikes for AI protection, which came to an end after ten months roughly three weeks ago, is but one example of that. Beyond Dead Take, however, it seems Salim is hopeful. When asked about leveraging talent this way, he said,
“I think actors in games are having their moment right now. We’re banding together and supporting each other more than ever. For me, that also means working together even beyond the recording studio, beyond the mo-cap volume. Now it’s not just our faces and voices that define what we make; it’s also our ideas.”
With ideas, faces, voices, and names like Abubakar Salim, Neil Newbon, and Ben Starr, Dead Take could shape up to be something special. And while the impact these names make on the industry remains to be seen, they have proven themselves time and again.