BAFTA-winning actor, director, and game developer Abubakar Salim has had a busy few years.
You may have caught him in acclaimed television series, such as the Sky One series Jamestown and the HBO Max series Raised by Wolves and House of the Dragon. You may have heard him as the voice of Bayek of Siwa in Assassin’s Creed Origins—to which he was nominated for a British Academy Games Award and named a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit. You also might have heard that he founded his own game studio—Surgent Studios—and released his debut game last year, a Metroidvania titled Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, which just won the BAFTA for Game Beyond Entertainment.
Now having just passed the 1-year anniversary of the game’s launch, we asked Salim about the journey that led to Tales of Kenzera: ZAU’s success—including the decision to have a fully voiced version of the game in his family’s native language of Swahili, which we were proud to support with from our audio team at Side.
The Story Behind Tales of Kenzera: ZAU
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU follows the story of Zau, a young shaman who embarks on a quest to capture the spirits of three monsters as offerings to Kalunga, the God of Death. In return, Kalunga promises to revive Zau's father.
As Salim's first game, it was an emotional journey for him to bring it to fruition, with much of the story inspired by Salim’s own grief, following the death of his father. Salim wanted to create a game that could support players in navigating their own feelings of loss, whether it be the death of a parent, or any similar deep loss, and be able to feel a connection through shared experiences. Salim himself was influenced by the Metroidvania game Ori and the Blind Forest, which he played while working on the series Raised By Wolves. It helped him realize he wanted to tell a story about feeling lost and finding one's way back, resonating with themes of grief and moving forward in life.
The game's design reflects a blend of Salim's and his father's cultural backgrounds, incorporating traditional Kenyan music, Bantu mythology, and Afrofuturistic elements. It’s also the first video game in history to feature a full Swahili voiceover version, which was important for him to bring to the game as part its authentic storytelling. Side had the privilege of supporting Abubakar Salim in his quest to bring authentic Swahili voiceover to Tales of Kenzera: ZAU. Read on to discover what it took to make it happen.
As far as you know, is Tales of Kenzera: ZAU the first video game to have a full Swahili voiceover version?
Abubakar Salim: It is indeed! And it’s amazing to be the first!
Why was it important to create a fully Swahili version of the game?
Abubakar Salim: For me, it was about authentically telling a story in the language I grew up with. It was incredibly important to do so as it also deeply connected me to my lost father, too.
The authenticity of the cast and dialogue recording for this game were key elements to you. Can you describe what went into the Casting process, in terms of casting Swahili voices with Side and our partners?
Abubakar Salim: It actually started with casting my cousin Maqbul to play Kalunga. I spoke to him about what I wanted to achieve with this, and he was 100% game. He’s an actor himself and understood the intention of telling an authentic story. With his help, we were able to essentially cast the remaining actors. It was important to not only capture the type of Swahili I wished to portray, but also with cast members who were comfortable with one another, especially on a subject as delicate as grief.
Maqbul Mohammed
Quotes
“It was important to not only capture the type of Swahili I wished to portray, but also with cast members who were comfortable with one another, especially on a subject as delicate as grief.”
– Abubakar Salim
Can you describe any learnings or challenges faced along the way?
Abubakar Salim: For one, this was never done before! So finding the correct studios in Nairobi was an important factor. However, working with Side really made that process a lot easier, as the areas of expertise that I had no idea about were covered by the wonderful team, and ensured that the quality matched. What helped also was that the actors and team across in Kenya were all in love with the story and wanted to ensure that it was delivered to the best it could be.
The Swahili cast, with their respective characters:
• Zau and Zuberi: Neville Misati
• Kalunga: Maqbul Mohammed
• Sabulana: Amalie Chopetta
• Bomani: Melvin Alusa
• Liyana: Grace Nyokabi
• Mama: Edith Ithongo’o
How was your own experience recording your Swahili voice lines at Side?
Abubakar Salim: Surreal! I had to re-teach myself how to act. It wasn’t something that I was totally comfortable to do to begin with, as I’m so used to speaking it without thinking too much about it, but once you put a microphone there, it was like learning to walk again!
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU explores themes of loss and incorporates Bantu mythology and Afrofuturism. With a fully Swahili voiceover version of the game, do you hope to inspire more game development among Swahili-speakers?
Abubakar Salim: Absolutely. The game has already inspired many developers, not only Swahili speakers, but many other African speakers to tell their stories. In truth, that fills me with so much joy!
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is now available on Xbox, PlayStation, PC and Nintendo platforms.
From expert casting and voice recording, to high quality music, sound design, and implementation—contact us today to partner up on your next project.