Zhenghua Yang

My Name is Z,

Founder & CEO of Serenity Forge

Creating meaningful and emotionally impactful experiences that challenge the way you think.

Who am I?

Zhenghua Yang (Z) built his first computer at the age of six and programmed his first video game at the age of 10. A lifelong love of video games and a near-death experience, while Z was a young man, propelled him to found Serenity Forge during college, a Colorado-based video game developer, publisher, and retail distributor of artful games with meaning.

Z’s mission as a creator and publisher of games is centered on values-driven games in which a deeper message, meaning, or connection is at the core of the gameplay and narrative. Z’s own personal connection with games as he recovered in a hospital from a serious illness had a remarkable impact on his outlook on life (and on his recovery). The deep bond forged between Z and these games left such a stark imprint and realization that games truly have the capacity to help us through almost anything. He has spent his career since then making and publishing games in order to elevate what games can truly mean to a person.

Notable Projects

  • Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!
  • LISA: Definitive Edition
  • Cyanide & Happiness: Freakpocalypse
  • The Alto Collection
  • Death’s Gambit: Afterlife
  • Sword and Fairy: Together Forever
  • Where the Water Tastes Like Wine
  • Smile For Me
  • Roman Sands RE:Build
  • Neversong
  • Lifeless Planet
  • Virgo Versus the Zodiac
  • Long Gone Days

Check out his full credits at

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TEDx talk on how video games will save our world

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Z is a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient, a TEDx speaker, leads IGDA Colorado, and holds several awards in business and design; his art and games have reached fans around the world and have been exhibited at museums such as the Smithsonian Institution & Denver Botanic Gardens.

Forbes30Under30

Forbes 30 Under 30

Leading a technological and artistic revolution

Featured on Extra Credits

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Z woke up one night, choking on his own blood. His platelet count had dropped below fatal levels and doctors gave him only two hours to live. But Z survived. He spent two full years hospitalized, feeling lost and hopeless until video games brought him to a new sense of purpose and a community of friends. Now he develops his own video games to explore their potential to teach, inspire, and yes: save lives.

More than just games

Video games can be so much more than just games. We believe that they can become a vital part of art, culture, and education. Ultimately, we are in the business of improving people’s lives.

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Interactive experiences that challenge the way you think.

Serenity Forge is a video game development and publishing studio based out of Boulder, Colorado, USA. We create games driven by meaning and value.

Serenity Forge’s dedicated development, publishing, and merchandise teams allow us to flexibility work both separately and together on exciting video game projects across the spectrum of the industry.

We believe that video games can become a vital part of art, culture, and education. Ultimately, we are in the business of creating meaningful experiences and expanding peoples’ horizons.

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!

Welcome to the club! Write poems for your crush and experience the terror of school romance in this critically-acclaimed psychological horror story.

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus has had a successful launch, with Serenity Forge and Team Salvato confirming the game’s first sales figure: 1,000,000 copies have been sold across all platforms in just 1 year. Read more...

Get in contact

For business inquiries, please contact me via email.

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