Palestinian game developer Rasheed Abueideh has launched a crowdfunding campaign to cover production costs for Dreams on a Pillow, his new title inspired by historical events. Dreams on a Pillow takes place during the Nakba, a central occurrence in the 1948 Palestine War that saw around 700,000 Palestinians violently displaced from and dispossessed of their lands and possessions.
Abueideh, who lives in Nablus, a city in the occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank, previously released Liyla and the Shadows of War. Available on mobile and PC platforms, it depicted a Palestinian family’s struggle to survive during the 2014 Gaza War. It gained a national spotlight after being initially denied listing as a game on Apple’s App Store and went on to garner both positive reviews from critics and a number of awards. The game was also a central component in a 2021 Palestinian Aid fundraiser organized by independent developers, which raised nearly $1 million for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza.
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According to the campaign page, the developer’s new project is a retelling of a Palestinian folk tale set during the Nakba. It follows a woman who attempts to rescue her child after the murder of her husband by Zionist forces during the purging of Palestinians from the territory that would eventually become Israel. In her haste, the woman mistakenly grabs a pillow instead of her child, but still must navigate her way through hostile territory as she attempts to preserve both her life and her deteriorating sanity. Like other developers from Arab countries, Abueideh hopes to present his own experience in a way that defies traditional depictions of the region.
Developer Returns to Games With Renewed Vision
Abueideh’s game development career has faced significant hurdles. Even after the critical success of Liyla and the Shadows of War, he was unable to secure funding for future projects. Instead, he opened a nut roastery in the West Bank, a business that was eventually made untenable due to ongoing conflict in the area. Having returned to his game development aspirations, Abueideh is eschewing traditional financial sources, instead following the crowdfunding path utilized by many independent developers. The sought-after funds are intended to cover salaries, asset creation, and outsourcing, and will enable Abueideh and his team to move Dreams on a Pillow out of pre-production.
With a healthy collection of game stills, concept art, and other development materials on the campaign page, Abueideh seems poised to make a graphically compelling game that tackles challenging material. As independent games prove to be a viable medium for raising social awareness, the team behind Dreams on a Pillow may reach a wider audience by gamifying their cultural perspective. The LaunchGood crowdfunding campaign has raised over $50,000 from nearly a thousand supporters. The campaign ends on January 13, 2025, with the game intended to launch in Q4 of 2026.