A candid chat about video games and hate campaigns with Abubakar Salim

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Originally published on October 31, 2024.

“We’re a cocked gun. As soon as we get that funding, man, we’ve got it.” 

This year, Abubakar Salim launched his first game development project – the praised metroidvania titled Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, which draws inspiration from traditional Bantu stories and the creator’s personal experience dealing with grief following the loss of his father.

In approximately three months, Surgent Studios revealed a series of job cuts within the company. The financial backing from Zau had been exhausted, and at that time, they couldn’t secure funding for another project. Salim is optimistic about reassembling his team if the studio manages to find a new publishing partner for their upcoming game – an Afro-gothic RPG that merges technology and spirituality, allowing players to act as both the player and dungeon master.

Where Zau was inspired by death, Project Uso sprang from life. 

Salim shares that the concept originated with his child’s birth. It was a moment of realization for him, similar to saying, ‘Wow, I’ve become a father.’

“Yeah, my first thought when I had a kid was of the abyss,” I reply. 

Salim laughs and gives me the look of someone also familiar with the void. 

In Swahili, “Uso” translates to “face”. The game, titled “Project Uso”, presents a unique scenario where you construct two distinct characters, or two faces, within the same physical form. These characters may not always have aligned objectives; for instance, your protective instincts might take precedence over self-preservation at times. In essence, in Project Uso, you aren’t merely rolling dice to determine outcomes – you’re engaging in an internal struggle, pitting one aspect of yourself against another.

Over the past few months, Salim has found himself in a self-contrasting situation as well. Apart from grappling with the complex economic issues and visibility struggles characteristic of independent game development today, they’ve also had to deal with a prolonged campaign of harassment.

Lately, he posted a video on Twitter that showed YouTubers attacking his reputation, claiming he falsified his ancestry, and proposing a name change for Surgent Studios to “Spear Chuckers.” This form of racism is shockingly reminiscent of the past, striking you directly in the heart and leaving you breathless, as though the last several decades had never occurred.

Salim was raised in the U.K., so he’s no stranger to racism; however, the continuous and relentless online attack against him and his studio has been particularly harsh and damaging, aimed at questioning his reasons for being involved in the gaming world altogether. Witnessing Salim’s enthusiasm slowly fade over the past year is one of the saddest tales in the video game industry.

After all, he doesn’t need to be here. He wants to be here. 

Prior to establishing his own studio, Salim was predominantly recognized for his acting roles. While you might recognize him as Bayek from Assassin’s Creed Origins, most of his career has been spent acting in television series like Raised by Wolves, Jamestown, and House of the Dragon. However, he’s always harbored a passion for video games and creating exciting content. This enthusiasm continues to drive him today.

Salim expresses his partner’s sentiment as, “She wonders why you’re engaged in this fight with minimal gain.” However, he explains that it’s not solely about the reward. There’s a sense of pleasure and affection attached to it. All she perceives is the chaos and hardship, but there remains a deep love and passion inside him, which continues to burn within the studio.

As a die-hard supporter of Salim’s work, it’s disheartening to hear some people claim that success has been handed to him without effort. However, what truly inspires me is the unwavering determination I see in him every day. He’s tirelessly seeking funding to reunite his team and bring Project Uso to life, proving once again that he’s not just a passive recipient of opportunity, but an active force driving innovation.

In the midst of challenging business conditions, it’s astonishing that Surgent Studios managed to create anything at all while establishing their studio culture, pipelines, and processes. This is nothing short of miraculous as even seasoned teams have struggled and failed in similar situations. It requires dedication and effort. Anyone suggesting otherwise likely lacks insight into the reality of such endeavors.

Salim describes the initial three years as a period of self-discovery for the studio, determining their identity. After that, it’s like saying, “Now let’s create this game.” Essentially, the first project serves to construct the team, and the second one is about refining and strengthening their abilities.

It’s a significant challenge for any programmer, but multiply that by the difficulties that come when you’re facing opposition from the world at large. The harsh comments online would drive many people away, and those who entered this field for the wrong motivations wouldn’t last long. It would be overwhelming to endure.

Being a developer already requires a great deal of skill and resilience. Add in the challenges that come with being met with resistance by the world, and the negative online comments would push most people away. Those who entered this field for less than honorable reasons wouldn’t last long. It would be an immense burden to bear.

Salim remarks, “There seems to be a great deal of apprehension regarding the concept of enforced diversity – this apprehension stems largely from fear of the unfamiliar, which has sparked many discussions. It’s important to clarify that this is a distinct conversation from outright racism. The shocking part for me is how blatant racism can be on a platform like YouTube, where individuals feel bold enough to express such views openly in public.

Many of these discussions are often fueled by deceivers, who rally a group of isolated individuals engrossed in the labyrinth of algorithms, fed hatred by the system at the hands of individuals behaving similarly to how they accuse Salim of behaving. They claim that Salim is inserting politics into games, but these people seldom discuss video games or things they appreciate. Instead, they focus solely on politics. They assert that Salim is merely seeking personal gain, but his studio has produced an excellent video game, whereas those stirring up the public often create nothing.

Salim concurs, emphasizing that Buddy seems to discuss nothing but politics constantly. He yearns for an escape, yet everything he speaks about revolves around politics. It’s perplexing, isn’t it? We’re grappling with this while also pondering over the state of the industry right now. It feels like trying to move water uphill, which is quite challenging.

On one hand, Salim is being advised by some individuals to remain silent, avoid fueling their attacks, and feign indifference towards what’s happening, all while his phone is filled with numerous tweets telling him he doesn’t belong, ridiculing his fashion choices at awards events, questioning his heritage, making fun of his sorrow, and accusing him of being overly dramatic.

As a gamer, I’ve got to say, it’s a small but vocal group who seem to make quite the racket. On their end, it feels like they’re wielding a scalpel, precise and unforgiving. But here’s the catch – when criticism is aimed at the racial aspects of the game, it hits close to home because I can’t change that part about myself. It gets complicated because some people say, “If you criticize the game, you’re just being racist.” Let me be clear, I welcome constructive criticism about the game. However, the problem with staying silent and ignoring is that this issue never gets addressed. To have the luxury to turn off such noise – now that’s privilege. But boy, it’s loud, and they set the tone for the conversation.

Yeah, Salim knows the abyss alright. We work in it. 

As I pen this article, I’m well aware it may stir up the customary troublemakers and make me their latest target, but it’s crucial to shed light on the matter – maybe we can prevent a few young individuals from being deceived by these con artists who they seem to view as their saviors. Perhaps they’ll challenge themselves, achieve a significant victory in logical reasoning, and break free from the manipulative masters controlling them like puppets.

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2025-04-14 12:17