By Izabella Rekiel
In the wake of loss, people search for meaning in different ways. For Saudi developer Faris Attieh, that search became a video game.
His newly released title, House of Hikmah, launched on April 8 on Steam for Windows PC. But this is not simply another independent game release. It is a deeply personal project born from grief, inspired by the Islamic Golden Age, and shaped by one man’s determination to create something meaningful from tragedy.
At its centre is Maya, a young girl whose father dies at the very beginning of the game. As she struggles to understand that loss, she is drawn into a fantastical world inspired by the historic House of Wisdom – the famed intellectual centre of the Abbasid era, where scholars gathered to explore philosophy, science, mathematics and literature.
“It’s her journey of how she grows from that loss and that grief,” Faris says.
As Maya enters the House of Wisdom, she passes through magical doorways that lead into the worlds of some of the most influential scholars of the Islamic Golden Age. Each realm is inspired by a different thinker – their ideas, their discoveries, and their legacy.
The result is a game that blends emotional storytelling with history, imagination, and puzzles rooted in real intellectual achievement.
A Story Born From Personal Loss
The emotional core of House of Hikmah comes directly from Faris’ own life.
He lost his father suddenly in 2015 – a moment that would shape the years that followed. By 2018, living in London, he found himself searching for direction.
“Games and movies were my two passions, and they were what I buried myself in when I was going through the loss.”
Games, in particular, became an anchor. Determined to pursue that passion, Faris moved to Los Angeles. But after struggling to find a studio aligned with the kinds of stories he wanted to tell, he made a bold decision: to build one himself.
Lunacy Studios was founded in 2020.
“I didn’t know a single human being that made games,” says Faris, whose background is in mechanical engineering.
Self-taught, he began from scratch. Mornings were spent writing story ideas and creating mood boards. Afternoons were dedicated to cold-calling industry professionals, asking questions, and learning wherever he could.
“I had to figure out how to run a studio, how to do business, how to do finances – learning as I go,” he says.
House of Hikmah was largely self-funded through friends and family, supported along the way by grants from Microsoft and Epic Games. Even then, there were moments when Faris had to return to fundraising to keep the project alive.
Reclaiming the Golden Age
Beyond the personal, Faris was also driven by a broader cultural goal.
“I wanted to show the Arab world in a positive light,” he says. “The Golden Ages, the renaissance of the region.”
Setting the game during the Islamic Golden Age allowed him to spotlight a period of extraordinary intellectual and cultural flourishing. The historic House of Wisdom – or Bayt al-Hikmah – became the perfect setting.
Founded in Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate, it was a centre of scholarship where thinkers translated ancient texts, developed new scientific theories, and expanded humanity’s understanding of mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and philosophy.
In House of Hikmah, this legacy is reimagined through interactive storytelling – inviting players not only to learn, but to experience.
A Soundtrack Without Words
The emotional tone of the game is elevated by its powerful soundtrack, composed by Austin Wintory, the Grammy-nominated musician known for his work on Journey.
From the moment Austin heard the story, he connected deeply with the project.
He proposed travelling to Saudi Arabia to collaborate with local musicians and record elements of the score using authentic regional sounds. With support from the Saudi Music Commission in Riyadh, the sessions were brought to life.
There was just one challenge: the musicians spoke no English, and Ausdtin did not speak Arabic.
It didn’t matter.
“Within minutes they didn’t need us to translate,” Faris recalls. “They spoke through their instruments.”
The sessions were largely improvisational, driven by emotion rather than structure. Hours of spontaneous recordings were produced, which Austin later shaped into the final score.
“I’ve never seen someone translate the idea of a hopeful story of grief into music so accurately,” Faris recalls.
Inspiring the Next Generation
Although House of Hikmah has only been out for a week, the response has already been overwhelming.
“People have messaged me telling me they’ve been inspired to try their hand in the industry,” he says. “Those are good signals to keep going.”
For Faris, that impact matters as much as the game itself.
Long before Saudi Arabia’s gaming industry began to grow, he had envisioned returning home and building something there.
“I started before games were really a thing in Saudi, which is why I moved to LA,” he says. “But the goal was always to be here.”
He moved back to Saudi Arabia two years ago, just as the local sector began to expand. Now, he hopes House of Hikmah will encourage others to follow a similar path.
“I’m a firm believer in a rising tide,” he says. “Hopefully this inspires people, spreads the word, and gets more people involved – whether in games or beyond.”
Faris has already begun giving back, delivering talks and lectures across the Kingdom, thanks to collaborations with the Ministry of Culture.
“Education is one of my deep interests,” he says. “Whenever possible, I love to share what I’ve learned. Because when I got my start, the things that got me ahead were people teaching me and taking a chance.”
In many ways, that philosophy mirrors the very place at the centre of his game: the House of Wisdom itself – a space where knowledge was shared, ideas were nurtured, and people came together to build something greater than themselves.
For Faris, House of Hikmah is more than a game. It is a tribute to his father, a celebration of Arab history, and a message to anyone still searching for their place.
Sometimes, purpose can be found in the stories we choose to tell.
Published by Boudou Gueffai | Editor-in-Chief | The Saudi Times
