Africa’s game development scene is emerging as a dynamic force in the global gaming industry. In this article, we take an in-depth look at some of the continent’s leading game development studios, highlighting their innovative projects, unique challenges, and significant contributions.
We will also explore some of the notable games that have put these studios on the map, from Leti Arts’ culturally rich adventures to Maliyo’s engaging mobile games, and Deluxe Creation Studios’ curriculum of fascinating Stickman games that are pioneering efforts in the Nigerian market.
Maliyo Games
Founded in 2012 by video games veteran Hugo Obi, Maliyo Games operates at the heart of Lagos Nigeria with over 30 employees in five African countries. Headquartered in Lagos, Maliyo specialises in crafting rich, authentic stories and characters that resonate with global mobile game audiences.
The company’s vision is to become a leader in producing high-quality games developed in Africa by Africans, while innovating to transform distribution and monetization systems. They’ve developed games like Disney’s Rising Chef (published by Disney), Whot Knot and Mama Atingi Shop.
Maliyo is focused on deploying scalable solutions tailored for the African market, spanning talent development, game design, distribution networks, and effective monetization strategies, ensuring lasting impact and success.
Leti Arts
Founded by Eyram Tawia and Wesley Kirinya in 2009, Leti Arts is a game studio in Africa that creates games and digital comics to share real African stories, mixing the continent’s rich culture with modern tales.
One of the Leti Arts’ biggest challenges is securing funding for its projects. It also faces hurdles with human resources and technical limitations. The company has been running workshops, participating in local events, and mentoring aspiring game developers to overcome these challenges and contribute to the global games industry.
Leti Arts currently runs on a team of 20 staff with offices in Ghana and Kenya. It has developed multiple games such as Puzzle Scout, Sweave and is currently focused on several new projects including educational and interactive games to promote African history.
Deluxe Creation Studios
Based in Nigeria’s largest city Lagos, Deluxe Creation Studios develops culturally rich games with immersive worlds and is led by CEO Edu Shola alongside a team of eight individuals. They’ve created popular titles such as Stickman Fight and Adventures of Chike SkyRider.
While funding is a challenge for most developers in the region, one major challenge this studio faces is attracting players, given the high number of games on app stores and the substantial advertising budgets of big game companies.
The Deluxe team often recruits local Devs and nurture them to help create better games. The company is currently planning the release of its upcoming game Rasta Santa and Urban Fury on mobile, PC, and Xbox consoles.
Qene Games
Located in Ethiopia, Qene Games is run by co-founded and CEO Dawit Abraham alongside co-founder and lead developer Samuel Sisay with a team of six individuals. The company is focused on “creating games with African roots that inspire the next generation to imagine a better world”.
They’ve partnered with publisher Carry1st to publish their upcoming board game Mancala Adventures and have developed other mobile titles such as Kukulu and Gebeta. Qene aims to build and publish both existing and original African games, fostering the growth of the gaming industry across the continent.
FitNot Games
FitNot Games is one of the few mobile game development studios who are pushing boundaries to achieve milestones. Founded by Abdallah Elshabrawy, FitNot has made a name for itself as an award-winning company and has secured publishing deals with MBC Group for three games.
The Egypt-based company runs on a team of 10 individuals and continuously strives to provide assistance through mentorship and internships and over the years has prioritised hiring local junior talent within the industry.
Also hindered by funding challenges, FitNot also finds that adapting its games to incorporate cultural nuances poses a significant challenge and is working to overcome it. The company is currently in pre-production of its new PC game titled ALI (placeholder), marking our first venture into the PC gaming space.
Dash Studios
Dash Studios is a game development and publishing company focused on solving the revenue challenges faced by African developers. Based in Lagos, Nigeria, the company is run by CEO John Ikpeme alongside a team of nine individuals based in Nigeria, Kenya, Australia, UK and USA.
The studio’s primary focus is on building profitable titles like ‘Nouns Hunt’ as part of a three-phase plan. They also aim to create world-class gaming experiences for global audiences, emphasising nostalgic multiplayer games under a Games-as-a-Service model to drive sustainable revenue growth.
CEO Ikpeme recognises that, “the only thing standing between Africa’s gaming ecosystem and the rapid expansion growth in that same ecosystem is one hit game. Just one, any one,” he said.
To support local talents, the company is accepting interns as it remains focused on launching Nouns Hunt’s full version and building out its player base in over 53 countries.
