Summary

  • Industry veterans form ILHAM, a new game studio focusing on Middle Eastern and Indian Subcontinental cultures.
  • ILHAM's first game is an AA open-world survival title aiming to push genre limits and cultural perspectives.
  • ILHAM plans to explore Middle Eastern lore, offering a fresh narrative-driven adventure for gamers.

Former Microsoft executive Sajid Farooq and prior Red Dead Redemption 2 dev James Rackliffe have partnered with AAA game veterans to create ILHAM, a new game studio. The gaming industry has seen plenty of changes throughout the past couple of years, and some of the developers who have spent time shaping the landscape of the industry through AAA hits like Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption 2 are making plans for newer projects using those skills.

There are plenty of factors that may have led creators to want to take a bit more control of the game development process that they have been an integral part of for a long time. Developers that have years of knowledge to share with rising talent appear to be putting more effort toward the creation of fresh IPs produced by new companies, such as Stig Asmussen's new studio Giant Skull, which is working on a new single-player action game with some of the talent behind the God of War and Star Wars Jedi games. Another studio has been created with a new game on the way.

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Former Microsoft executive Dr. Sajid Farooq and Red Dead Redemption 2 developer James Rackliffe have founded ILHAM, a studio focused on producing titles with perspectives from Middle Eastern and Indian Subcontinental cultures. Farooq, a former DirectX lead, believes that gamers are craving fresh ideas, and he has partnered with Rackliffe, who has experience as an EA director and with technical QA work on modern gaming classic Red Dead Redemption 2, to help prove that.

Industry Veterans Form ILHAM

The first game by ILHAM is described as an AA open-world survival title for PC and consoles, and the developers are intent on pushing "the limits of both the genre and the players themselves," signaling that the experience will not only contain plenty of depth, but challenges for experienced gamers to get something new out of. Although strong narrative-led games like The Last of Us and Resident Evil 7 are highly-praised entries in the survival gaming genre, neither offers a glimpse into the slice of culture that ILHAM plans to offer with its new title.

Creating a survival title that boasts a compelling narrative along with complex and fulfilling gameplay mechanics is a difficult task, but many veteran developers appear to be banding together to form new studios with these goals. Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser created Absurd Ventures, which is intent on providing gamers with another fresh story-driven adventure IP. With ILHAM, James Rackliffe has expressed a desire to explore Middle Eastern lore and mysticism in a way that current games rarely explore. ILHAM's upcoming game could push gamers and developers alike into new territory.

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Red Dead Redemption 2 Tag Page Cover Art
10 /10

Red Dead Redemption 2
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Action
Adventure
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Systems
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Top Critic Avg: 95 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
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Released
October 26, 2018
ESRB
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
Developer(s)
Rockstar Games
Publisher(s)
Rockstar Games
Engine
RAGE
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
N/A
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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America, 1899. The end of the wild west era has begun as lawmen hunt down the last remaining outlaw gangs. Those who will not surrender or succumb are killed. After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him. From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 is an epic tale of life in America at the dawn of the modern age.

Cross Save
N/A
Franchise
Red Dead Redemption
Steam Deck Compatibility
yes
Platform(s)
PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia
Genre(s)
Action, Adventure
How Long To Beat
50 Hours
X|S Optimized
yes
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty
Red Dead Redemption 2 characters