Detroit game developer’s ‘We Never Yield’ drops players into an Afrofuturist kingdom

Welcome back to all things culture and community .

We have a conversation with Neil Jones , the video game developer known as Aerial_Knight , to share with you. Jones has and new game out and an upcoming launch party, and we asked him what it means to be a Black Detroiter who makes video games in a white-dominated industry.

Then hear one local’s experience in Apple’s training academy in Detroit, and plan a hiking excursion without leaving the city.

One quick recommendation

When you enter the distinct green-and-red Blue Nile restaurant in Ferndale , not far from Detroit’s Avenue of Fashion, you’re met with woven baskets, hanging umbrellas and angelic faces that line the walls and tables. The cozy digs offer an Ethiopian vegetarian feast for your table to share: roasted yellow split peas, spiced greens and sautéed cabbage, to name a few. I loved the hospitality of the staff, who kindly explained some menu items to me and gave encouraging smiles while I ate with my hands for the first time.

If vegetarian isn’t your style, you can add your choice of chicken, lamb or beef, all simmered in niter kibbeh and berbere — butter and paste made with spices indispensable to this West African cuisine. Prepare to eat with your hands in true traditional Ethiopian style, or use injera — a spongy, pancake-like flatbread — to sop up that saucy goodness. While you’re licking your fingers, consider washing the feast down with some sweet, refreshing honey wine.

The Blue Nile is located at 545 W. 9 Mile Road, and open Wednesday and Thursday from 5-9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 4-10 p.m.; and Sunday from 3-9 p.m.

🎮 New game alert

Avid gamers in Detroit, this one’s for you. Neil Jones spent his childhood on the westside joyfully gaming. It’s what propelled Jones — aka Aerial_Knight — to become a developer.

He was all smiles chatting about his newest work, “ We Never Yield ,” released last week on PC, PlayStation and Xbox. The single-player (or two-player co-op) game follows two brothers as they run and fight through an Afrofuturist world to reclaim their kingdom of Detroit.

“When I was a kid, that’s all I wanted to do,” Jones said about playing video games. “I wanted to know how they were made, the people behind them and things like that. It’s like the only thing I could think of. I didn’t have any backup plan or anything else, it was full focus on this thing.”

Jones found his way through people like industry analyst Shaun Alexander ; Justin Woodward , a studio founder who now runs The Media Indie Exchange ; Cierra McDonald of 343 Industries, makers of “Halo”; and Xbox’s James Lewis , who founded a program for underrepresented developers. Jones sees his work — including “ Dot’s Home ,” also set in Detroit — as a way to show Black gamers in the city that there are people who look like them creating games.

“I think people really put themselves in a box and say, ‘I don’t know how to code, so I can’t be a game developer,’” he said. “The game industry is a very large industry as far as job range. It’s not just artists, developers and marketing people. There’s so many jobs.”

Jones will celebrate at the “We Never Yield” launch party on July 27 at Black Tech Saturdays in Newlab. The event is open to everyone.

🧑‍💻 Movin’ businesses forward

The Detroit Apple Developer Academy is the tech giant’s first and only training center of its kind in the U.S. Native Detroiter Aaliya Davidson , a George Washington University grad with a degree in economics, just finished her second stint in the academy’s Renaissance program. She was among a group of students who spent 10 weeks learning the essentials of coding, design and business, and then applied to the advanced program to collaborate with local businesses on tech-based solutions.

Davidson learned about the Apple Developer Academy’s “hands-on project-based learning approach” from a relative.

“The amazing thing about technology is that it’s present in almost every industry and organization, from Fortune 500 companies to local mom-and-pop shops,” she said. “Even though I am interested in UX/UI (user experience/user interface) design, graphic design and digital marketing, I love sustainable fashion and interior design.”

Davidson chose to work with eugenie , a woman-owned, eastside boutique for sustainably made clothes, and Parini , a residential interior design studio, to develop the companies’ branding and social media presence.

“I love this city and look forward to living here for a very long time,” Davidson said. “I think it’s important for Detroit natives and Detroit residents to work with local businesses to strengthen our local economy, support local entrepreneurs and build stronger communities, digitally and in real life.”

The program runs in partnership with Michigan State University and graduated its third cohort in June. Applications for the 2024-25 cohort are closed and will reopen in January.

More to explore in Detroit’s culture

🚶🏽‍♀️ Looking to touch some grass and get away from the hustle and bustle? The city has five standout parks with hiking and walking paths for you to get your steps in this summer. (Planet Detroit)

🧁 🎨 Detroit artists Jantae’ Spinks and Samuel Trotter opened art gallery, bakery and creative studio combo Someday in New Center earlier this month. Someday aims to combine culinary and visual arts, making both more accessible to the public. (BridgeDetroit)

Detroit game developer’s ‘We Never Yield’ drops players into an Afrofuturist kingdom · Outlier Media