This journey has been a roller coaster - from my father’s passing, to conceptualizing this game, to building the team, to crafting it with my team at Surgent Studios, and to now releasing Tales of Kenzera™: ZAU. It’s completely surreal.
This game was inspired by the loss of my father, who passed away from cancer in 2013. I’m sure many of you can relate to or at least imagine the intense grief that consumed me once he had gone. He was supposed to see me become an actor, a father. It never happened.
At that time, the pain felt insurmountable. As the years passed, I began to let my grief fuel me - that miasma of sadness, anger, and confusion generating the spark that became ZAU. It’s my way of reaching out. Of saying I see you and your journey.
I’m often asked how I got comfortable being honest about the origins of this game. The truth is that there was no other way to do it. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I realised that the journey towards deciding to share how you feel is as important as the sharing itself.
Many of you have noticed that ZAU is supported by the Ridley Scott Creative Group. Today I’m proud to reveal what that means.
Over the past few months, I’ve written and directed my first short film with the support and guidance of RSCG. That film, My Shoes, Your Feet, is out today.
It tells the real story behind ZAU, showing how hard it is to reach out. To try to connect to others while you’re going through it. To make the choice to be seen.
I’m honoured to share this piece of myself with you now. It’s the ideal primer for Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, and it’s my love letter to my father and to everyone out there who holds the pain of loss in their heart.
I’m here with you. I see you.
So let’s take this journey together.