Developer Acceleration Spotlight: Bisong Taiwo

The ID@Xbox Developer Acceleration Program, launched in 2023, marches forth with the mission to empower underrepresented creators with the resources and information needed to bring their creativity, innovation, and originality to Xbox. The Developer Acceleration program seeks to support developers who are led by those from Black, Indigenous, Latino or LGBTQIA+ communities, women, developers with disabilities, developers from emerging markets or teams with unique perspectives, and several other communities by removing longstanding barriers to entry for creators and normalizing diverse storylines and characters in gaming.

Since the program was announced, dozens of games have been released on Xbox to both critical acclaim and commercial success. With that in mind, we believe it is only fitting that we spotlight some of the creators behind these titles in a new recurring series on Microsoft Game Dev blog.

This week, we’re highlighting Bisong Taiwo, developer of the Developer Acceleration Program title Sainthood. We had the chance to chat with Bisong about his studio’s experience with the program and how DAP helped them successfully develop Sainthood.

Tell us about your studio.

I’m Bisong Taiwo, a Nigerian-Canadian filmmaker and game developer based in Canada. My work is deeply rooted in my African heritage and spiritual worldview, drawing inspiration from my religious upbringing and my love of storytelling. As a filmmaker, my projects, such as "Choices You Don’t Make" and "Mami Wata", have reached audiences worldwide, with the former being a huge hit for Brandon University, and the latter garnering over two million views on YouTube. I’ve made a few mobile video games over the years, but Sainthood is by far my most successful and will serve as a starting point for all future games I develop.

What can you tell us about Sainthood?

Sainthood is a cozy strategy game about serving your community and growing your faith. You have 33 days to spend on an island off the coast of the Kingdom of Kongo, and in that time you must attend to the needs of the islanders, while learning about African culture and its intersection with Catholicism. I wanted to make a small game that avoids the negative tropes sometimes associated with religion, and instead focuses on a positive, cozy experience that inspires players to serve and nurture their local communities.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an independent studio?

Balancing the game’s development with a full time job, a (incredible) wife and two kids, and film projects at several stages of development is a monumental task that I don’t recommend anyone take! It’s why this game took four years to make. But I love the challenge, and in fact is one of the inspirations for the core gameplay loop, which requires careful strategic thought in balancing your time to accomplish all required tasks for each day.

How did you learn about or connect with the Developer Acceleration Program?

I learned about DAP through Games Industry Africa and Africacomicade, which both serve as the primary source of happenings, reports and profiles on the African games industry scene as well as fostering collaboration among digital creatives across Africa.

How has the Developer Acceleration Program impacted your game’s development?

The program was instrumental in bringing the Sainthood to life. It went from a little thing I had been tinkering on for years, to a validated project with a release date I had to commit to. It also allowed me to hire professionals as contractors to work on different aspects of the game to give it more polish.

What accomplishments are you most proud of as an independent studio?

Two big ones. First, releasing a multiplatform game simultaneously, on time and budget, is a remarkable feat in and of itself. I released a game on Xbox! Saying it out loud is the coolest brag, and my 15 year old self would be absolutely floored. Second, the reviews, emails, and DMs I’ve received from both religious and secular players alike have been overwhelmingly positive and deeply encouraging, and shows that there is a universal appetite for video games with positive themes about caring for your neighbor, which I think we could all use a little bit more of.

Any hints on what might be coming next from your studio?

I’m back to tinkering on prototypes, but you can expect my next project to be another positive fusion of faith and charity. Come join me on my Discord to see what I’m up to!

Why do you feel that programs like DAP are important to the health of the game industry?

Extremely important. As I’ve mentioned earlier, Sainthood would not be out today without it. There are many African developers who are skilled and talented but never get the financial backing to prove their worth due to the catch-22 effect. My hope is that Sainthood might help nudge the door a little bit wider for the next person working on an awesome game.