[UNPAID/HOBBY] [UE5] THE WAY YOU KNOW ME — Psychological Horror Game Seeking Collaborators

🎮🩸 THE WAY YOU KNOW ME

Genre: Psychological Horror / Narrative Survival

Setting: 1987, Northern Pennsylvania

Perspective: First-Person / Stylized 2.5D

Development Status: Preproduction

Team: Recruiting remote collaborators

Compensation: Proposed unpaid/portfolio-focused collaboration, pending appropriate legal arrangements

🌲 ABOUT THE GAME

Hey everyone! 👋

I'm Danielle, a UT Dallas graphic design student and the Game Director, Creative Director, and Lead Writer of THE WAY YOU KNOW ME, an independent psychological survival-horror project.

Set in October 1987, the story follows four longtime companions stranded in an isolated Pennsylvania logging valley after their route becomes impassable.

Seeking shelter, they discover an abandoned timber cabin.

But as the night progresses, familiar faces and voices become increasingly difficult to trust. A supernatural predator can convincingly imitate the appearances, voices, and behaviors of people they know.

Players experience the story through Audra Bell, a young woman who must investigate a decades-old mystery while deciding whom to trust, whom to rescue, and how to survive.

🎬 GAMEPLAY FEATURES

🎮 First-person, stylized 2.5D cinematic exploration

🎭 Branching dialogue and character relationships

🧩 Environmental investigation and interconnected puzzles

✉️ Seven letters containing pieces of a historical mystery

⏱️ Time-sensitive survival decisions

🎬 Cinematic cutscenes and character performances

🩸 Psychological horror and multiple endings

🛠️ PROJECT PROGRESS

I've developed the game's original concept, story bible, six-chapter narrative screenplay, character and creature concept designs, visual identity, storyboards, and gameplay-system concepts.

The project is currently in preproduction. The artwork represents the intended visual direction rather than screenshots of a completed playable game.

Our first goal is a polished 15–20-minute playable prototype demonstrating first-person interaction, dialogue choices, companion relationships, inventory, investigation mechanics, and atmospheric storytelling.

🔎 LOOKING FOR COLLABORATORS

- 💻 Unreal Engine 5 Developers: Blueprints, C++, exploration, interactions, dialogue and gameplay systems.

- 🎨 Character Artists: 2D concept art, stylized 3D characters, textures, expressive character designs.

- 🎙️ Voice Actors: Natural, emotionally grounded performances, dramatic dialogue and psychological horror.

- ✍️ Screenwriters / Cutscene Writers: Cinematic scripts, character dialogue, suspense and interactive narrative.

- 🎬 Cinematic Artists / Animators: Character animation, facial performances, Unreal Engine Sequencer and cutscenes.

- 🌲 Environment Artists: Forest environments, interiors, lighting, props and level composition.

- 🎧 Sound Designers / Composers: Environmental audio, suspense, ambience and original music.

- 🖥️ UI/UX Collaborators: Readable interactions, investigation notebooks, inventory systems and accessible timed decisions.

🤝 CREATIVE COLLABORATION

I'll lead the overall creative vision, narrative direction, visual consistency and project coordination.

However, I genuinely want to collaborate with artists, developers and writers who have their own creative perspectives.

For example, character artists are welcome to explore alternative interpretations of the established designs while preserving the characters' recognizable identities.

💗 COLLABORATION TERMS

I'm currently exploring a remote, portfolio-focused collaboration model.

The proposed arrangement is unpaid, not a paid job offer. Before production begins, any arrangement must be confirmed as legally appropriate, with responsibilities, compensation obligations, credits, intellectual-property rights and portfolio permissions agreed upon in writing.

📩 INTERESTED?

Please contact me with your preferred role, portfolio or previous work, experience level, time zone and approximate availability.

I'll love to arrange a short 20–25-minute remote introductory interview through Discord or Google Meet.

Thank you for your interest!

THE WAY YOU KNOW ME

You know these people. You have never had to prove it.