Remember that bodycam shooter that went viral in 2023? Now it's got them sweet Tencent megabucks to reach its 'full potential'

Way back in the mists of 2023, developer Alexandre Spindler and Drama Studios revealed Unrecord: an FPS with a striking bodycam perspective that almost instantly went viral, with the reveal video quickly amassing tens of millions of views. The illusion of photorealistic camera footage was so convincing at points that some even cried fake, and the studio had to release more to prove it wasn't.

After that Unrecord went underground, as the two-man team began work on turning what was then a prototype into a full game. Now Drama Studios has announced that the game's development is fully funded thanks to Chinese megacorp Tencent taking a minority stake in the studio.

"At the time of the trailer in 2023, we were just 2 bedroom programmers with no experience in the industry," reads Drama Studios' announcement on X. "The game was just 6 months old and exceeded all our expectations. With limited finances, we started from scratch, working sleepless nights and handling everything from business to creation. Two years later, we are 10 developers and we are still hiring."

The post goes on to say "we finally have the budget to make Unrecord and build the best game possible." The team also thanks investors, and says the studio is "now fully focused on production and avoiding revealing unfinished work in order to raise the bar even higher. Now that we have funding, we’ll finally share updates in 2026 that reflect our true final vision."

A view of a ruined street in Unrecord, with what looks like a burger joint. — (Image credit: Drama Studios)

"We've been consistently impressed by the drive and dynamism of Drama Studios," Tencent's Mark Maslowicz told GI.biz, "and the remarkable progress it has made on Unrecord, especially with such a small team and limited resources. This investment will help the studio unlock their full potential and deliver the first of many outstanding games. We're excited to be part of Drama Studios journey."

“Despite its scale, Tencent has approached this partnership with humility, respect, and a real appreciation for our creative identity," added Drama Studios CEO Theo Hiribarne. "It believed in Unrecord early and has supported us at every stage of our growth. We’re confident this collaboration will help us reach our full potential.”

Drama Studios says it aims to "create one of the most immersive games ever", which may well reignite some of the initial debate over whether playing a cop blasting away at suspects is in the best taste, and says we'll see more of where the game's going in 2026.

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Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."

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