I left my job in the United States.
I was a software engineer and data analyst. Good salary. Comfortable life.
But every night, I played games like Ghost of Tsushima and Assassin’s Creed. Masterpieces. Beautiful.
And I asked myself the same question over and over:
“Why doesn’t Africa have this?”
So I quit. I packed my bags. I moved back to Dakar, Senegal.
And I started Saloum Legacy Studios.
The game : Lat Dior – The Last Damel
It’s a narrative action-adventure game on Unreal Engine 5.
The true story of Lat Dior, the last king of Cayor – a man who refused to bow to French colonization.
Inspired by Ghost of Tsushima. Built by a small team with a big heart.
Why does this game need to exist ?
Because Africa has never had its own AAA hero on a box cover.
Because millions of African players and the diaspora grow up playing foreign epics – never seeing their own faces, their own landscapes, their own history.
I want my son to play a game where the hero looks like him.
I want the world to know that African stories are not just suffering – they are epic, noble, and legendary.
The honest truth (I won’t lie to you) :
I know how this sounds. Ambitious. Crazy. Some would say impossible.
Building a AAA game from Dakar, with no team, no budget, no machine?
I know the odds. I know the industry. I know what we’re up against.
But I am a Senegalese-American who left everything behind. I am not here because I think this will be easy.
I am here because I believe – with every fiber of my being – that this can be revolutionary for African gaming.
And I am ready to hang on to that 1% chance.
What I already have :
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Complete script (Prologue + 3 Acts + Epilogue) – reviewed with historians
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Game Design Document, World Bible, Character Bible
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Roadmap, pitch deck, official poster, 2D concept art
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A website, a vision, and a burning conviction
What I am missing :
A UE5 developer (Blueprints and/or C++) who believes in this project before the world does.
Someone who wants to build a vertical slice (10-15 minutes of polished gameplay) and a 60-90 second trailer – to show investors, publishers, and funding bodies that this is real.
The financial reality :
I don’t have a big budget right now. I can offer :
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A fair revshare (percentage of future revenue) until funding is secured
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Once funding is obtained, a fair salary
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Full creative credit and a permanent place in the studio’s history
My target budget for this phase is around $8,000 USD. If that’s too low, tell me. I need honest feedback more than false hope.
Why join me ?
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You won’t be just a freelancer. You’ll be a technical partner.
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You’ll have real creative freedom – your ideas will shape the architecture, the gameplay, the vision.
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You’ll build something that has never existed before : the first AAA narrative game from West Africa.
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And one day, you’ll be able to say : “I was there when it started.”
What I’m asking :
A 20-minute conversation.
I’ll show you the GDD, the World Bible, the roadmap.
You’ll tell me if I’m naive or visionary.
I am not asking you to believe blindly. I am asking you to look at what I’ve already built and ask yourself :
“What if he’s right? What if that 1% chance is enough?”
If you say yes – even just for an exchange – you will already be part of the adventure.
Send me a DM here or email me : cheikhna.gueye@saloumlegacystudios.com
Please include your portfolio (links to playable builds or videos) and a few words about your experience with UE5 vertical slices.
I am not here to waste your time. I am here to build something real.
Let’s talk.
Cheikhna Gueye
Founder – Saloum Legacy Studios
www.saloumlegacystudios.com