Dead Take introduces Ben Starr and Neil Newbon as its leads

The next game from the mind behind Tales of Kenzera: ZAU has found its two stars.

Game Director Abubakar Salim made an immediate impression on the gaming world with Surgent Studios' debut title, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU. With the story of the young shaman Zau behind him, Salim has begun work on his next project. Prior to this year's Summer Game Fest weekend, Salim and Surgent Studios unveiled a psychological horror game called Dead Take. On Tuesday, the game's two stars were revealed.

Ben Starr, most famously known for his role as Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy 16, will co-star as Vinny Monroe. He'll be working alongside Neil Newbon, who's fresh off his work on Baldur's Gate 3 as Astarion. Newbon will play the role of Chase Lowry.

According to Tuesday's casting announcement, Dead Take will focus on Starr and Newbon's characters each auditioning for the same role, that of a character named Willie. In this first-person psychological thriller, players will take part in numerous puzzles, many featuring live-action video elements. Over the course of the story, players will look to piece together what happened in an abandoned mansion the night before. An empty film set seems to indicate that the idea will be to determine what ultimately befell Monroe and Lowry. The announcement also points to a third major role with that actor's name currently kept under wraps.

Salim, Surgent Studios, and publishing arm Pocketpair Publishing have been firing off news for Dead Take at a rapid pace this week. Tuesday's announcement teased that Dead Take's release date would be revealed soon. We'll have our eye out for this announcement, so keep it on Shacknews.