Way back in 2024, Half Mermaid Productions and Sam Barlow (creator of Immortality) announced two horror game projects known as Project C and Project D. While the latter is still under that codename, the former now has a full title in PRECOGNITION, as well as a launch window of spring 2028 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, and PC via Steam. If that news wasn’t enough, PRECOGNITION will have Possessor director Brandon Cronenberg on board for collaboration.
“We’ve really been trying to test the limits of non-linear storytelling, focusing on how the game feels to play, while encouraging player agency and freedom,” said Sam Barlow. “We’ve pushed ourselves even harder with PRECOGNITION by bringing the feel of investigation and mystery games into a world of cause-and-effect, with a story that spins out as a consequence of your choices.”
As for the reasons why Barlow sought out Cronenberg, he explained that Half Mermaid wanted PRECOGNITION to be a very authentic science-fiction horror experience, which is why they looked for the appropriate collaborator. “Brandon had already played IMMORTALITY and Her Story, so he immediately understood the nature of the game and the unique narrative structure we bring to everything we make.”
“The films I make tend to be subjective and experiential, with the horror emerging as one person’s perspective of the world warps around them,” says Cronenberg. “The games that Sam and the team have made over the years are subjective experiences by their very nature—no two people will have the same experience with them. So it’s the perfect place to explore these themes further.”
In PRECOGNITION, former child prodigy Diana receives an experimental implant, which gives her the ability to see moments from her own future. Players will explore her visions and choose what to remember of the future in order to change it. Barlow and Cronenberg aim to push the boundaries of non-linear narrative, and asks players to question what kind of future we are headed towards and our own role in it.