The actor known for voicing Bayek in 2017's Assassin's Creed: Origins has launched a new game studio. Abubakar Salim is officially entering the video game development fray as the founder, CEO, and creative director of the UK-based Silver Rain Games.

While the 27-year-old Salim is best known to gamers for his work as Bayek in Assassin's Creed: Origins, which netted him a BAFTA nomination, he's also a veteran actor with starring roles in TV series like Jamestown and Fortitude, as well as Ridley Scott's upcoming limited sci-fi series Raised by WolvesAmerican audiences would perhaps know him best for his work on 24: Live Another DayIn addition to providing the voice for the lead character in Assassin's Creed: Origins, Salim also counts World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth and The Bradwell Conspiracy among his video game credits.

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The launch of Silver Rain Games was announced via press release on Friday. The big reveal was originally set to take place at the EGX Rezzed in London before the event was postponed until July amid concerns over the COVID-19 coronavirus. Joining Salim in launching Silver Rain Games is Melissa Phillips as Head of Studio. Phillips formerly served as BAFTA's Games Programme Manager, working on initiatives like the BAFTA Crew and Young Game Designers competition. In 2019, she was named one of the 100 most influential women working in the UK video game industry by Gamesindustry.biz.

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The studio revealed in its press release that work has already begun on its first IP with Salim acting as director on the project. Per the release, the game is in the prototype stage and Silver Rain is currently sourcing talent with plans to seek funding opportunities in the coming months. Salim told GamesIndustry.biz that he's aiming to "tell stories that will empower players" like the games he enjoyed when he was younger, such as Kingdom Hearts, World of Warcraft and Assassin's Creed.

New development houses may be popping up all the time, but Silver Rain Games' story is unique in that Salim has virtually no background in game development and is instead leaning on his creative experience as an actor and personal history as an avid gamer. His move to team up with an industry veteran in Phillips should go a long way in helping to establish the credibility Silver Rain Games needs in order to successfully fund and develop games that people will want to play. That said, his credo of creating narratives to empower players, like those in Assassin's Creed: Origins, is a good philosophical jumping-off point for the studio.

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Source: Silver Rain Games, GamesIndustry.biz