Photo Credit: Ayo Oduniyi (A&O Studios)
For nearly a decade, Danielle Udogaranya — Founder and CEO of EBONIX — has reshaped how Black identity is seen, coded, and experienced across gaming and digital culture. Her work first took root in 2015, when her Afrocentric custom content for The Sims 4 offered Black players something they had rarely encountered in virtual worlds: themselves, fully and accurately represented. What began as a community-led practice has since grown into a global creative-tech force, marked by partnerships with The Sims, Dark & Lovely, Samsung, Meta, Xbox, Sky, and Farfetch; recognition as an HSBC Top 25 Black Entrepreneur to Watch (2024); and invitations to speak or judge at SXSW, Afrotech, London Games Festival, BAFTA, D&AD, and more.
Danielle’s latest project, Black Lines of Code, expands that mission. The exhibition marks ten years of EBONIX and examines what happens when digital systems fail to reflect the full spectrum of Black identity and what becomes possible when Black creators rewrite the visual language of those systems themselves. Through immersive installations, playable experiences, and mixed-reality works, the exhibition spotlights the artists and technologists who have embedded Blackness directly into the architecture of digital space.
Thinking back to the early days, before EBONIX was formalised, how did you initially go about getting your start in this intersection of gaming and cultural technology? What was the first major industry door you had to kick open?
Interestingly enough, kicking down industry doors was never part of the plan. The key route I took was establishing a meaningful connection and relationship with my community. The people who EBONIX was created for. I started out in 2015 with posting my mods on Tumblr, which gained a lot of traction within the Sims community, who finally felt seen because they had access to assets that were relatable to their lived experiences! It wasn’t until 2019 that I went full-time to pursue filling this gap, and started to live stream on Twitch.
By 2020, I was the first Black British Woman in the UK to become a Twitch Partner and by 2021 the first Black British Woman in the UK to become a Twitch Ambassador. It happened extremely naturally and quickly, because I’d already established a community. The livestreaming space for BB women was (and still is) a sparse and aggressive place, but that definitely felt like my first introduction to an “industry door” that was kicked down, that did not allow us visibility to thrive.
Photo Credit: Ayo Oduniyi (A&O Studios)
Your work has fundamentally changed the landscape of Black representation in gaming. For music industry professionals, what is the most crucial, practical lesson they can draw from your experience?
Remain so unapologetically rooted to your “why”. I have referenced the woman in my community who approached me about what my work meant to her 10 year old niece. Noone can ever call to question what is important to me, because I make it so clear at every opportunity what my why is.
My why came before my what and how. It’s rooted in every opportunity I’ve taken. In every collaboration or brand deal I’ve done.
I never took a ‘no’ as a reason to stop. You’ll come to realise that some no’s are blessings in disguise, because they redirect you towards what you’re actually supposed to be doing.
You operate at a high level, collaborating with global brands and judging major awards. What is your most effective strategy for networking?
Believe it or not, I was once one of the shyest people I knew. I had a friend who I’d call my “hype woman” because she’d big me up and I’d try to shy away from my truth. That I’m really someone making a difference. So, my most effective strategy for networking was walking in and owning my truth.
Once I took off the mask that I was trying to hide behind, that was a humbling version of myself, who was riddled with imposter syndrome, networking became second-nature. I’m my most authentic self when I talk to people.
But you have to also remember that, you’re networking with people that you align and have synergy with. Don’t waste time or energy if that isn’t there.
What is the core concept that Black Lines of Code aims to achieve?
Black Lines of Code aims to interrogate and reframe the presence of Blackness within digital worlds and culture, spotlighting the creatives who have challenged systemic absences in virtual representation.
By centering the work of creatives who have both imagined and enacted new possibilities, the exhibition seeks to expand the cultural lexicon embedded in algorithms, code, and immersive environments. It offers a critical space for reflection, celebration, and dialogue, bridging art, technology, and cultural identity to address the historic and ongoing erasure of Black narratives in digital worlds.
Black Lines of Code is a decade-long view of digital identity. For music executives focused on digital rights and artist IP, what is the most important commercial takeaway the exhibition offers regarding the long-term value of culturally specific digital assets?
I have a question for them. What transpires when the very mediums we consume fail to equip us with the means to author our own image, or to recognise ourselves in any substantive or affirming way? Identity becomes fractured.
It is so essential to provide meaningful, nuanced and intentional representation across all mediums, whether it be gaming, music, literature, film, in order to reaffirm the value a person builds around their sense of self as they establish their identity.
3 people that inspire you.
Doechii, Murjoni (@mvrjoni) and… Black children who need reminders that their skin, hair and features are the most beautiful things in the world.
What are you listening to at the moment?
In preparation for the exhibition, I’ve been listening to a lot of jungle! When you really look into the history of some of the older music in games, it’s inspired by UK Jungle! So I’ve been listening to a lot of Natty Congo, Roni Size, Shy FX, Goldie etc. Most of the posts I’ve made around the exhibition will have that junglist sound to it!
And also, to calm my spirit, a bit of gospel. In particular No Greater Love – Rudy Currence, Chrisette Michele
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Exhibition Details:
Dates: 11th – 20th December 2025
Location: Copeland Gallery, Peckham, London
Curated by: Danielle Udogaranya (CEO & Founder, EBONIX)
Presented by: EBONIX in collaboration with Electronic Arts, British Council, Ubisoft, XBOX UK and other partners from art, gaming, and creative tech industries
Ticket Link HERE