Assassin’s Creed’s Bayek and Tales of Kenzera Dev Reveals His Next Big Game
After ZAU, Surgent Studios is aiming to expand the world of Tales of Kenzera with another project that currently lacks a vital aspect.
- Tales of Kenzera: ZAU's developer has been planning for a new project.
- Though the story and prototype are already done, this project lacks a vital partnership.
- When the project will come isn't sure, but it will further expand the Tales of Kenzera lore.
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is one of those games that was released in 2024 but failed to shine. If you are not familiar with the name, that’s not surprising. This game was released in April 2024 under the label of EA Originals. However, this Metroidvania game didn’t succeed in getting much positive reviews from gamers, and the Metacritic user score clearly states that.
The main attraction of the game was its director, Abubakar Salim, who was mostly known for his voice in Assassin’s Creed Origins. Not sure who he voiced? Well, it’s the protagonist of the game, Bayek. However, this one failure didn’t dishearten Salim, and once again, he is on the road to developing his next project.
Bayek Is on a New Journey and Looking for a Partner to Fund It
Abubakar Salim founded Surgent Studios in 2019, and with Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, the studio stepped into the world of gaming. Though the reception was not very satisfying, it wasn’t too bad. However, the game’s average success motivated the creator to start a new project, which he called an “Afro-Gothic RPG” inspired by Planescape: Torment, released in 1999.
However, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Instead, recently, the director of the studio appeared for a talk where he not only revealed his upcoming project but also stated that the studio is in search of a “funding partner to bring it to life.”
The upcoming game is in the development process under the codename Project Uso. The studio head revealed that this next game will be an isometric RPG, and to further describe it, Salim said it will be a single-player game set in the Tales of Kenzera universe, but “it’s darker, it’s more visceral, it’s gritty.”
The story of Tales of Kenzera: ZAU was inspired by Salim’s own experience after he lost his father. Project Uso will follow a similar type of storyline, where the protagonist will challenge the god of death.
Abubakar Salim Revealed More Details About His Next Project, Including the Expected Price
The world of RPGs has received gems like Metaphor: ReFantazio this year. After Salim’s announcement, it looks like more will come in the future. When the “isometric, Afro-Gothic action RPG” will come isn’t sure. Despite the studio head sharing no expected timeline for the game, he talked about other aspects.
Along with a short hint of the storyline, he further expressed that he doesn’t intend to waste the time and money of gamers.
According to his statement, the game won’t be a “photorealistic” one, and most importantly, it will cost similar to Tales of Kenzera: ZAU. So, expectedly, players will get the game for $19.99.
The developer is reportedly a big fan of Dungeons & Dragons, a massively popular fantasy tabletop role-playing game. Therefore, with the upcoming game, he wants to create his own RPG system and to achieve this goal, Salim revealed that the team has given “Project Uso a fast-paced, real-time feel.”
The studio has created a fully developed prototype of the upcoming game and is currently looking for a partner who will fund this project.
