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

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.

Cat Bussell
Staff Writer

Cat Bussell is a Staff Writer at TechRadar Gaming. Hailing from the crooked spires of London, Cat is an experienced writer and journalist. As seen on Wargamer.com, TheGamer.com, and Superjumpmagazine.com, Cat is here to bring you coverage from all corners of the video game world. An inveterate RPG maven and strategy game enjoyer, Cat is known for her love of rich narratives; both story-driven and emergent.