Coded Black
Release date: Jun 6, 2025
Developers: Human Studio, Maisha Wester
Publishers: Maisha Wester
Genres: Indie, Simulation, Free To Play
Categories: Single-player, Full controller support
Supported languages: English

Coded Black is a bold, narrative-driven experience that immerses players in the hidden and haunting histories of anti-Blackness in the US and UK. This is an experience designed to be difficult – mentally and emotionally. Drawing from primary sources, historical records and scholarly analysis, Coded Black offers a journey through past atrocities and moments of triumph. Explore two distinct, atmospheric scenes  – a plantation and a modern 20th-century city – each filled with real historical documents and audio visual storytelling. With a structure that surfaces different content in each run, Coded Black is a narrative crafted for both personal reflection and educational engagement. Amidst the darkness, Coded Black also shines. Players can find glowing “balls of light” that reveal stories of Black achievement, resilience, and humanity – offering powerful moments of reflection and hope. Blurring the lines between game and museum exhibit, this is an experience about witnessing, understanding and feeling the weight of history through an interactive lens. _ This game is free to play and designed to be used as both an interactive exhibit and a teaching tool. A companion website provides expanded resources, bibliographies, and theoretical materials not included in the game itself. For information about the game, its creators and sources, visit codedblack.info. 


Notes: The game deals with the historical topic of slavery and racism, and therefore includes descriptions of violent acts, images of devices used for the chastisement of enslaved people, and archival imagery depicting victims of lynching.