[August 31st, 2026]: Safe In Our World, a video game industry charity dedicated to raising awareness of mental health and wellbeing, has published a new interview with Tate Pollock, Creative Director of the upcoming cyberpunk visual novel RPG 30 Days: A Sobriety Simulator at Not Right Now Studios.
The interview is being released to mark International Overdose Awareness Day, observed annually on August 31st to raise awareness of substance overdoses and reduce the stigma surrounding drug-related deaths.
In the interview, Pollock speaks with Safe In Our World about their personal experiences, what inspired 30 Days: A Sobriety Simulator, and what led them to partner with the charity. The conversation follows the announcement of a partnership between Not Right Now Studios and Safe In Our World, through which Pollock has co-authored a new guide for supporting addiction recovery as part of the charity's Level Up Mental Health programme.
30 Days: A Sobriety Simulator places players in the shoes of someone returning to the cyberpunk megacity of New Miami after a life-threatening overdose. Given an ultimatum by a family physician to stay sober for thirty days or risk death, they work to rebuild their relationships, career, and sense of self, all while resisting a growing dependence on the fictional drug Stardust, the same substance that claimed their father. Every choice, from clocking out on time at work to standing by an old friend, carries consequences that steer the story toward recovery or ruin.
The game is a deeply personal project for its creators. Tate Pollock, Creative Director of Not Right Now Studios, holds a PhD in Neuroscience specializing in addiction research, and co-created the game with sibling and Assistant Director Liz, drawing on their family's own history with addiction. Together, they aimed to pair clinical understanding of addiction with lived experience of its impact on a family. The interview also reveals that the team at Not Right Now Studios will be launching a Kickstarter campaign for the game’s launch.
Through the partnership, Not Right Now Studios and Safe In Our World aim to bring greater visibility to the challenges of addiction and recovery, both within 30 Days: A Sobriety Simulator itself and through the wider resources Safe In Our World offers to the games industry.
Read the full interview on Safe In Our World's website from August 31st: Why 30 Days: A Sobriety Simulator Chose to Explore Addiction Recovery as a Video Game.
Watch the Latest Trailer for 30 Days: A Sobriety Simulator here.
Press Kit | Trailer (Embargo)
Check out the Preview Interview here:
Safe In Our World Interview (PDF)
Key features of 30 Days: A Sobriety Simulator include:
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A City Full of Connections. Meet at least 20 major characters and explore nearly 40 locations across the neon-lit megacity of New Miami, each shaping, and shaped by, the story.
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Resolve-Driven Choices. Spend Resolve, the game's core resource, on work, relationships, hobbies, and self-care, then draw on it again to resist Stardust when temptation strikes at night.
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Setbacks, Not Game Overs. Relapse resets the sobriety counter, but never the relationships and progress built along the way.
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Stardust Minigames. Interactive sequences capture both the escapist pull of the fictional drug Stardust and the real costs it carries.
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Real-World Support, Woven In. From billboards to text messages, the game signposts real crisis lines and resources for support directly within its world.
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Grounded in Research and Lived Experience. Written by Creative Director Tate Pollock, who holds a PhD in Neuroscience specializing in addiction research, alongside addiction consultants and a team shaped by their own experiences with addiction.
30 Days: A Sobriety Simulator is available to wishlist now on Steam. Players can follow the game on Discord, YouTube or check the Not Right Now Studios official website for further updates. A Kickstarter Campaign to secure the game’s launch will be live later this year.
The full interview with Dr. Tate Pollock will go live on August 31st, 10:30am UK time on Safe In Our World’s website and can be viewed via this link: Why 30 Days: A Sobriety Simulator Chose to Explore Addiction Recovery as a Video Game.
About 30 Days: A Sobriety Simulator
30 Days: A Sobriety Simulator is a cyberpunk visual novel RPG from Not Right Now Studios. Set in the megacity of New Miami, the game tasks the player with living through the first thirty days after a life-threatening overdose, under an ultimatum from a family physician to stay sober or risk death, as they work to rebuild their relationships, career, and sense of self while resisting the pull of the fictional drug Stardust. 30 Days: A Sobriety Simulator is coming to Steam.
About Not Right Now Studios
Not Right Now Studios is led by Creative Director Tate Pollock, who holds a PhD in Neuroscience specializing in addiction research, together with sibling and Assistant Director Liz. Drawing on their family's own history with addiction, Pollock and Liz created 30 Days: A Sobriety Simulator to explore the everyday realities of addiction and recovery through interactive storytelling.
About Safe In Our World
Safe In Our World is a video game industry charity dedicated to raising awareness of mental health and wellbeing in and around video games. Through its Level Up Mental Health programme, the charity provides free training, toolkits, and resources to help games companies build stronger mental health support for their teams.