Immortality creator teases two upcoming games, promises a 'next level FMV' and the 'reinventing' of 3rd person horror

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Part of a human face hidden behind a dark shadow
(Image credit: Half Mermaid Productions)

Sam Barlow, the creator of the critically acclaimed FMV video game Immortality, has teased two upcoming projects and a third that is currently on hold. 

The founder of Half Mermaid Productions took to Twitter to offer a cryptic look at what he called the "Half Mermaid alphabet," where he described his plans for the studio. 

"Project A(mbrosio) - released as Immortality, Project B(astille) - paused game, the world isn't ready for our take on the French Revolution yet, Project C - next level FMV, hold onto your seats [and] Project D - reinventing 3rd person horror again." 

Project C and Project D also received some very mysterious Steam listings, which looked more like redacted top secret documents than traditional landing pages on Valve's popular digital PC game storefront.

Chunks of the games' descriptions and names have been redacted with big blocks, begging all sorts of questions.  

The legible parts of Project C''s description state "Gifted with the [...] kaleidoscopic [...] future." while Project D's reads "Something bad [...] Some doors [...] Some doors [...] home?" 

Project D's landing page on Steam with a mysterious red image of a door

(Image credit: Half Mermaid Productions / Valve)

Sam Barlow's games have a track record of providing gripping and thought-provoking storylines for players. Released in 2022, Immortality received a great deal of praise from fans and critics alike. Following the story of fictional actress Marissa Marcel, Immortality takes players on a high-concept journey centered around a pair of immortal beings and their interactions with humanity. 

Immortality was nominated for Best Narrative, Best Performance, and Best Game Direction at The Game Awards 2022, It also won the BAFTA for Narrative in March 2023 as well as the Independent Games Festival award for Excellence in Narrative in the same year.

Barlow is also known for his work on Her Story and Telling Lies, two more FMV-focused, story-driven titles released in 2015 and 2019 respectively. 

Though we don't yet know much about Project C or Project D, Barlow has a proven history with the genre. Here at TechRadar Gaming, we can't wait to see where Barlow and Half Mermaid's upcoming games take us. 

In the meantime, our lists of the best story games and best indie games have plenty of tales for you to enjoy.

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Cat Bussell
Cat Bussell
Freelance contributor

An editor and freelance journalist, Cat Bussell has been writing about video games for more than four years and, frankly, she’s developed a taste for it. As seen on TechRadar, Technopedia, The Gamer, Wargamer, and SUPERJUMP, Cat’s reviews, features, and guides are lovingly curated for your reading pleasure.

A Cambridge graduate, recovering bartender, and Cloud Strife enjoyer, Cat’s foremost mission is to bring you the best coverage she can, whether that’s through helpful guides, even-handed reviews, or thought-provoking features. She’s interviewed indie darlings, triple-A greats, and legendary voice actors, all to help you get closer to the action. When she’s not writing, Cat can be found sticking her neck into a fresh RPG or running yet another Dungeons & Dragons game.