Abubakar Salim, the House of the Dragon actor, has released Dead Take, a horror video game that directly critiques Hollywood’s exploitation, corruption, and AI manipulation practices. The psychological thriller uses real-world footage and interactive storytelling to explore industry scandals while positioning itself as Salim’s creative rebellion against what he calls the “horrific” entertainment machine.
What you should know: Dead Take marks a dramatic shift from Salim’s debut game, transforming from heartfelt storytelling to industry exposé.
- The game follows struggling actor Chase as he breaks into director Duke Cain’s mansion searching for his missing friend Vinny.
- Players navigate room-by-room puzzles that reveal evidence of abuse, exploitation, and manipulation within the film industry.
- Salim describes creating the game as “an exorcism” and “oh fuck you” to Hollywood’s toxic culture.
How it works: The game combines escape room mechanics with full-motion video footage featuring real actors.
- Players discover flash drives containing video clips of Ben Starr (Final Fantasy XVI) and Neil Newbon (Baldur’s Gate 3) as the leads.
- A computer editing bay allows players to “splice” together clips, creating new footage and alternate character perspectives.
- Each manipulated video unlocks new story elements and puzzle sequences, mimicking how AI tools can reshape narratives.
The AI angle: Salim uses the game’s editing mechanics to highlight his concerns about artificial intelligence in entertainment.
- The in-game editing machine represents modern AI-powered editing suites that prioritize “cutting corners” over human creativity.
- He fears AI-generated content being used to create compromising images or videos of actors without consent.
- “The biggest threat is the content people are going to be taking in is just so fucking bad,” Salim warns about AI-generated entertainment.
Real-world parallels: The game’s fictional scenarios mirror actual industry scandals and technological threats.
- Actor Pedro Pascal recently faced AI-generated deepfake videos falsely showing him groping actresses.
- Fortnite players quickly turned an AI-voiced Darth Vader into a profanity-spewing character within hours of release.
- The game explores MeToo-like scandals and director manipulation through discoverable emails and notes.
What they’re saying: Salim doesn’t hold back his criticism of both Hollywood and AI’s role in entertainment.
- “Hollywood is pure horror,” he states, referencing widespread abuse and power dynamics.
- On AI replacing actors: “The biggest threat is… this idea of a generation being brought up on computer generated, weird AI slop, it’s terrifying. You’re all gonna start thinking the same.”
- He believes AI threatens job security while producing inferior content that could influence future generations.
Why this matters: Dead Take represents a unique intersection of gaming, Hollywood criticism, and AI commentary from someone working within both industries.
- Salim’s dual perspective as both actor and game developer provides insider insight into how AI threatens creative professions.
- The game’s use of real footage instead of animation demonstrates his commitment to showcasing human talent over artificial alternatives.
- His concerns about deepfakes and unauthorized AI manipulation reflect growing industry anxieties about technological exploitation.
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