RIYADH: A puzzle-adventure game featuring historical scholars of the Islamic Golden Age has the potential to put Saudi Arabia on the global map of game development, its creator believes.
Since the launch of the National Gaming and Esports Strategy in 2022 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, many Saudi initiatives supported by public and private entities have been released.
Now “House of Hikmah, ” or “House of Wisdom,” has become the first Saudi narrative puzzle game to delve into the history of the Islamic Golden Age — a time of scientific and cultural development from the 8th to the 13th century.
The game is set within the House of Wisdom, inspired by the intellectual hub of the Islamic Golden Age. (Supplied)
Lunacy Studios — a fully remote gaming studio founded by Saudi creative director Faris Attieh, and with team members from the Kingdom and worldwide — created the game, which focuses on an era when the Muslim world was the intellectual center of the globe.
Attieh lived in Los Angeles for eight years and pursued a career in video games, but left the city after finishing his studies and returned home in 2024.
He told Arab News that “House of Hikmah,” which was released on April 8, is a 3D adventure game that blends historical intrigue with a deeply personal story.
The growth we’re seeing from local developers has been incredibly inspiring. There’s also something very motivating about seeing your country directly support your industry.
Faris Attieh, Lunacy Studios founder
“It tells a hopeful story about grief and how one grows from losing a parent. Maya, a young girl during the Islamic Golden Age, loses her father, who was away at sea.
“When she starts having vivid dreams of him, she travels to the House of Wisdom in search of answers. There, she meets famous historical scholars and steps into fantastical worlds built around their work.”
The game is set within the House of Wisdom, inspired by the intellectual hub of the Islamic Golden Age. (Supplied)
The 33-year-old game developer said that the death of his own father was a catalyst for the project.
“The game is very much inspired by my personal experiences. I lost my dad a few years before we started development, and I drew on that when writing the story and characters. In a lot of ways, making the game was part of how I processed it.”
Attieh added: “The stories about loss in games didn’t really resonate with me, so I set out to make the game I wish I had when I was going through it. My hope is that if someone finds this game while they’re going through grief, they’ll feel understood.
Faris Attieh
“I wanted people who have gone through loss to feel like this game understood them, and for those who haven’t experienced it directly, maybe to understand those who have a little better. Playing through a story shortens the distance to empathy in a way other mediums cannot.”
The game is set within the House of Wisdom, inspired by the intellectual hub of the Islamic Golden Age.
“We feature seven historical scholars in the game, including Fatima Al-Fihri, Ibn Sina, Ibn Hayyan, and Ibn Al-Haytham. There was so much for us to explore in their work.
“A lot of what we interact with every day goes back to them, like the camera obscura that led to modern photography. We really wanted to celebrate them.”
“Cultural authenticity was very important to us, so we studied their work and led with that,” Attieh added. “Each level is built around a scholar’s discipline. Ibn Al-Haytham worked on optics and light, for example, so his level is all about bending light. It’s how we kept the game engaging while staying true to history.”
Asked about the distinctive features of the project, he said: “We have full voice acting, both in English and Arabic, which really brought the emotional story to life. The music is by Grammy-winning composer Austin Wintory.
“He actually flew to Saudi Arabia to record with Saudi musicians. It’s also the first game to explore worlds built around these scholars, with puzzles based on their fields of study.”
Attieh explained his motivation for creating a small studio.
“It’s all I did growing up, I was obsessed. Back then we didn’t download games online. it was all physical CDs, so I’d ask to see my friends’ collections whenever I visited and borrow any I hadn’t played.
“I would also spend a lot of time in internet cafes to play online games because we didn’t have great internet at home. That obsession never really went away. That desire to constantly discover and play new games was foundational to my career. It gave me an encyclopedia of reference points I can draw on when speaking with my team, which helps us align on vision.”
Speaking about his team, he said: “We grow and shrink slightly depending on where we are in production, but the core team is 10. A few of us are in Saudi and the rest are spread around the world.
“We started during COVID, so remote work was a necessity. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it allowed us to find the best people for the job, no matter where they were.”
With Saudi Arabia’s gaming industry undergoing a state-driven transformation, he said: “The growth we’re seeing from local developers has been incredibly inspiring. There’s also something very motivating about seeing your country directly support your industry.”
Attieh is looking forward to getting involved in local projects. “I’m a firm believer in the expression ‘a rising tide lifts all boats.’ Studios should always be helping each other if we want the Saudi games industry to grow and thrive.
“The dream would be to help grow the Saudi games industry into one as renowned as Montreal’s or LA’s,” he added.
