01 / The beginning

It began with a dream.

It might sound far-fetched, but this really did begin with a dream. I dreamt that my son David and I were living in a tribe in Ghana, trying to survive. We struggled, and that was really all there was to the dream.

Somehow, that short experience gave me an idea: what if I could bring an African and Ghanaian-inspired survival and settlement-management game to life? That became the starting point for Tribal Instinct: Africa.

Daniel BennettCreator, Game Director & Executive Producer

02 / The foundation

Discovering the world of c.1750.

My next task was to research Ghana around 1750 AD: the people, the landscape and the world that could inspire the game. The setting needed more substance than a collection of attractive images.

That initial research established the direction. Historical and cultural review will continue throughout development, helping the team distinguish documented references from fictional places and gameplay choices.

Daniel BennettCreator, Game Director & Executive Producer

03 / The foundation

Teaching myself how to plan a game.

I then taught myself how to plan and structure a game brief. I needed to turn a creative vision into something developers could understand, build and demonstrate.

The work was divided into milestones leading toward the full game. Each stage needed a clear purpose, a defined scope and a way to judge the result. The brief remains a working document as development reveals what needs refining.

That preparation has grown into an archive of at least 1,602 PDF pages across 87 planning and reference documents and revisions, alongside 300 visual references and design iterations. It covers the world, characters, buildings, gameplay systems, interface, audio and the evidence needed to review each milestone.

These materials have been prepared to guide current and future development. Earlier revisions record how the vision developed; the current approved documents and references form the basis of each milestone’s handover.

Daniel BennettCreator, Game Director & Executive Producer

04 / Choosing the team

Five teams. The same benchmark.

With the idea, research and documentation in place, I looked for developers who understood my vision and creativity. I set five different teams the same task: a mini benchmark.

A benchmark is a defined group of small development tasks, delivered as a playable test. It gave me a practical way to compare how the teams interpreted the brief and handled the work. It was a sample of their capabilities, rather than proof that every full-game system was already solved.

Daniel BennettCreator, Game Director & Executive Producer

05 / Choosing the team

Playing every build. Choosing one team.

Each team made a playable build, and I played all five. That allowed me to experience their work directly and decide which team was the right fit for Tribal Instinct: Africa.

I chose one team to move forward with and begin the next phase of making the game. The selection process is complete; the full benchmark is the next step.

Daniel BennettCreator, Game Director & Executive Producer