Abubaker Salim
Surgent Studios
Abubakar Salim is the CEO and Creative Director at Surgent Studios. Surgent's BAFTA-winning debut game, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, was released in 2024. Their second title, Dead Take, was released in 2025. A BAFTA nominated actor, Salim's work in games spans Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, Diablo IV, and Assassin’s Creed: Origins in which he played Bayek. He is known for a number of film and television roles including Father in Raised by Wolves and Alyn of Hull in House of the Dragon.
Abubaker Salim is speaking at the following session/s
The Evolution of Interactive Storytelling
Storytelling is at the heart of what we do and runs across all crafts and mediums. This session will explore how storytelling and narrative is developing in a creative landscape with increasing overlap between film, games and television.
The panel will discuss their creative approaches, how they get inspiration, how ideas are generated and how they shape narratives across channels.
Session Takeaway
- Why storytelling remains the connective tissue across film, television and games despite differences in format and audience behaviour.
- How audiences increasingly expect to engage with stories across multiple platforms and mediums.
- Why games are now influencing the broader entertainment industry creatively, not just commercially.
- Where ideas originate: character, world, mechanics, emotion or theme.
- How narrative development differs between linear and interactive storytelling.
Session speakers
