In 2016 Abdelkarim started with the foundations of the BattleSage universe. However, to create the game he envisioned more hands were needed. And so, we founded Tovenaar in September 2020. At the moment, we combine the development of BattleSage Adventure with a part time job at Howest – Digital Arts and Entertainment (DAE) . We are colleagues and above that, friends who share a love for creating video games. At Tovenaar we practice that art, while at Howest we teach it to a new generation of developers and research the latest developments.

‘Tovenaar’ is a Dutch word, meaning wizard or magician. Besides the obvious link to our game, we chose this name also for the other meanings it carries: wise, mysterious, ancient and powerful. We aim to recreate the experience and feel of wonder you would get when encountering such character.