Tales of Kenzera: Zau was first announced at the end of 2023 on the stage of The Game Awards with Abubakar Salim of Surgent Studios. Salim, known previously for his voice work in Assassin's Creed: Origins, spoke positively of his father's encouragement for gaming in his formative years on that stage, and detailed how he had begun to develop a game to help come to terms with the ongoing grief from his father's passing.
"I took the biggest risk of my life and threw everything that I had at making a game. A piece of art that honored him. An ode to the people that we have loved and lost." Salim said at 2023 The Game Awards, as he choked back the cracks in his voice. "I hope you like it."
