Ben Starr And Neil Newbon Face The Horrors of Hollywood in Dead Take
PRESS RELEASE – July 10, 2025 – Surgent Studios, the award-winning team behind Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, and Pocketpair Publishing, have revealed new promotional videos for Dead Take. After revealing last week that Neil Newbon and Ben Starr will play two actors competing for the same role, Surgent has now released two “audition tapes” showcasing their auditions for the part.
Dead Take stars Neil Newbon as Chase Lowry and Ben Starr as Vinny Monroe: two actors vying for the role of “Willie” in a big Hollywood exec’s next film. Players will take on the role of Chase as he searches for Vinny at the exec’s mansion, where he disappeared after a glitzy party the night before. In these videos, players see both characters doing something all actors do day in and day out: making audition tapes.
Set in a luxurious yet secluded Hollywood Hills mansion, Dead Take casts players as an actor searching for his friend gone missing after a lavish Hollywood party. As they navigate escape-room-style puzzles and splice together videos they find along the way, players will uncover the darkest secrets behind the entertainment industry’s glittering facade.
Surgent Studios will reveal the rest of Dead Take’s cast, including a notable line-up of cameos, in the coming weeks.
Dead Take is published by Pocketpair Publishing (Palworld, Craftopia) and is set to launch this year on PC via Steam.
About Surgent Studios
Surgent Studios brings a pioneering philosophy to storytelling across games, film, television, and emerging media. They are driven to explore unique perspectives in search of what makes us all human. Surgent is currently continuing conversations with further prospective partners to help fund other games like Project Uso, an Afro-gothic action-horror RPG set in the Tales of Kenzera universe, which the studio revealed in 2024.
About Pocketpair
Pocketpair is a Japanese video game developer best known for their hit game Palworld, as well as their other popular titles Craftopia and Overdungeon. Founded in April 2015, the company has gained international recognition for developing innovative games that blend various genres and gameplay mechanics.
