Acclaimed interactive storyteller Sam Barlow, the creative mind behind groundbreaking games like Her Story and Immortality, has announced his most ambitious project yet. Kinetic Publishing and Half Mermaid Productions have officially revealed Precognition, a live-action science fiction horror game developed in collaboration with celebrated horror filmmaker Brandon Cronenberg. The project, previously teased under the codename ‘Project C,’ promises to push the boundaries of non-linear storytelling and player agency in ways that could redefine the full-motion video gaming genre. With a planned release in Spring 2028 across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2, this collaboration brings together two of the most innovative voices in their respective mediums.
A Story of Memory, Precognition, and Consequence
At the heart of Precognition lies Diana, a former child prodigy blessed with a photographic memory and a uniquely malleable brain. The narrative begins in the 1990s, where Diana becomes part of an experimental program involving cerebral implants designed to enhance memory function. However, researchers discover an unexpected side effect: test subjects begin receiving memories from their own futures. While most participants quickly forget these visions, much like how the brain erases dreams upon waking, Diana’s exceptional cognitive abilities allow her to retain and study these glimpses of tomorrow. Barlow describes the experience as Diana collecting “Polaroids of her future,” drawing comparisons to Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed film Memento in how she must carefully choose which moments to preserve and remember.
The gameplay mechanics reflect this unique premise in fascinating ways. Players will explore Diana’s visions of the future, selecting specific moments to commit to her present-day memory. However, this power comes with profound consequences. The moment Diana locks a detail into her memory, the timeline shifts, and the future she witnessed transforms into something entirely new. This creates a dynamic cause-and-effect system where every choice ripples through the narrative, ensuring that no two players will experience the same story. Barlow emphasized that from the opening moments of the game, players diverge onto completely different paths, exploring the mystery at their own pace and in their own unique order.
A Perfect Creative Partnership with Brandon Cronenberg
The collaboration with Brandon Cronenberg represents a significant creative milestone for Half Mermaid Productions. Cronenberg, son of legendary body horror director David Cronenberg, has established himself as a distinctive voice in horror cinema with films like Antiviral, Possessor, and Infinity Pool. His work is characterized by deeply subjective experiences where horror emerges from the warping of a character’s perception of reality. This philosophical approach to horror aligned perfectly with Barlow’s vision for Precognition. During the search for collaborators, the team conducted what Barlow described as “speed dating” with various horror directors, but Cronenberg immediately stood out. Crucially, Cronenberg had already played both Her Story and Immortality before joining the project, giving him an intimate understanding of the unique narrative structures that define Barlow’s work.
Cronenberg has been deeply involved in co-developing the story and participating in the game’s writing room alongside Barlow. The filmmaker noted that his previous films have always been experiential and subjective, rooting audiences firmly within a single character’s deteriorating perspective. He sees video games as the perfect medium to explore these themes further, particularly given that interactive experiences are inherently subjective by their very nature. The partnership allows both creators to push their artistic boundaries while maintaining the authentic sci-fi horror experience they both envisioned from the project’s inception.
Building on a Legacy of Innovative Storytelling
Precognition represents the natural evolution of techniques Barlow has refined over nearly a decade of groundbreaking work. Her Story, released in 2015, revolutionized the full-motion video genre by challenging players to piece together a crime narrative by searching through police interview databases. The game won multiple BAFTA awards and demonstrated that FMV games could deliver sophisticated, critically acclaimed experiences. Telling Lies expanded on this formula with over 30 onscreen characters and a more complex web of interconnected stories. Immortality, released in 2022, pushed even further by introducing the innovative match-cut mechanic that allowed players to jump between scenes by clicking on visual similarities, essentially enabling them to edit their own film in real-time. The game received widespread critical acclaim, including the first perfect 10/10 score that Edge Magazine had ever given to an independent game.
With Precognition, Barlow aims to bring the investigative feel of mystery games into a world governed by cause and effect, where the story spins out as a direct consequence of player choices. He drew an interesting comparison to time travel games, noting that while many games explore this concept through replay mechanics and branching paths, he has never encountered one that truly captures the butterfly effect of small changes cascading through possibilities. This ambitious goal explains the extended development timeline leading to the 2028 release. The team wants players to feel that same magic moment that occurred during Immortality’s alpha testing, when testers would message Barlow at three in the morning, shocked by revelations they had uncovered through their own exploration.
Kinetic Publishing Champions Independent Innovation
The publishing partnership with Kinetic Publishing marks an interesting industry development. Kinetic Publishing launched in 2026 as the publishing arm of Kinetic Games, the UK studio behind the massively successful Phasmophobia, which has sold over 27 million copies. The label was founded specifically to support independent developers in ways that Phasmophobia creator Daniel Knight wishes he had experienced early in his journey. Head of Marketing Asim Tanvir emphasized that Kinetic’s approach prioritizes creative authenticity above all else. The publisher believes in allowing developers to maintain complete control over their creative vision while providing the marketing resources, experience, and support necessary to reach audiences. Precognition joins an impressive lineup of upcoming titles including Contact Protocol, Crescent County, Shellbound, and Aether Wizard Life.
Barlow expressed optimism about the current gaming landscape despite widespread concerns about market saturation. He believes that developers who commit to creating truly unique experiences and investing more time and effort than anyone else would dare will ultimately create something of lasting value. The digital distribution era has made it possible for the strangest, most experimental projects to find their audiences, as long as those audiences can discover them. This philosophy has guided Half Mermaid Productions since its founding in 2017, and Precognition represents perhaps the boldest expression of that creative vision yet. For fans of Barlow’s previous work and newcomers drawn by Cronenberg’s involvement, the wait until 2028 promises to be worth it.
Expert Opinion: The collaboration between Sam Barlow and Brandon Cronenberg signals a significant maturation of the FMV gaming genre, potentially elevating it to the same artistic prestige enjoyed by independent cinema. With streaming platforms conditioning audiences to accept non-linear narratives and choose-your-own-adventure formats, Precognition is positioned to capitalize on this cultural shift. Industry observers should watch whether this high-profile creative partnership establishes a new template for film-to-games collaborations that prioritize artistic vision over mere intellectual property adaptation.
