Last week at Africa Games Week (AGW), it felt like you could stand in one room in Cape Town and hear the future of African games spoken out loud in a dozen different accents. Studio heads, first time indies, sound designers, composers, organisers and students all kept circling back to the same idea: Africa is not waiting to be invited into the global games industry any more. It is already here.
Across every conversation there was this mix of realism and optimism that you rarely see together. People spoke honestly about layoffs, funding gaps and the uncertainty that comes with new technology like AI. Yet the dominant emotion in the halls was not anxiety, it was momentum.
From independent developers willing local players to say “I am buying this because it is a South African game,” to festival organisers watching international publishers sign African titles in real time, you could feel that something has shifted from potential to proof.
A continent that once felt peripheral to global gaming conversations suddenly feels central to its future.
We hosted a Rooftop Party at our studios during AGW in collaboration with Nyamakop, and used this opportunity to get real insights firsthand. Here are our takeaways:
PASSION ON THE GROUND
For many attendees, the biggest takeaway was not a specific panel or talk, but the people themselves.
Producer Kaitlyn Du Sart from Pressure Cooker Studios summed it up simply:
“Everyone here is so passionate and creative. You can feel how badly people want African developers to be seen on the global stage.”
Juliette Love of Disputed People Games felt the same:
“The people have been the standout for me. The passion, the knowledge, the stories. Everyone’s working on such cool projects and I can’t wait to see who makes what next year.”
A NEW FUNDING AND INDUSTRY LANDSCAPE
One of the most notable shifts was around investment. After years of African developers fighting for visibility, the tide is slowly but undeniably turning.
Limpho Moeti, Chairperson of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), shared:
“It’s been incredible to see the growing interest and investment coming into Africa. There’s so much momentum. The funding landscape is becoming more accessible and inclusive.”
Africa Games Week co-founder Rex Bowden described how international partners are no longer just attending out of curiosity. They are attending to sign games:
“Every year, publishers come back with new partnerships and new titles they’ve signed from the continent. The knowledge exchange this year was next level.”
And Nhlanganiso Tshabangu from HyperForJ Studios added a wider perspective:
“People globally are paying attention to what we’re building. Africa is the youngest continent in the world. With mobile gaming booming and localisation growing, the potential here is massive.”
THE RISE OF AFRICAN MADE GAMES
Across the board, developers spoke with excitement about the quality of work emerging right now.
Pressure Cooker Studios CEO James Matthes said:
“There’s so much incredible talent coming through. We’re getting closer to seeing African made games capture real international attention.”
Nyamakop CEO Ben Myres pointed to the shift from mobile into PC and console.
“Traditionally Africa has been very mobile focused, but now we’re seeing developers move into PC and console. That shows real growth and ambition. Next year is going to be amazing.”
He highlighted Nigerian titles like Tossdown and Go North, and celebrated the growing appetite for big, ambitious African IP such as Legends of Orisha.
Independent developer Diyanka Govender voiced what many others echoed:
“I want local players to get excited about local games. I want to hear someone say, ‘This is a South African game, I’ve got to buy it.’ That pride could shift everything.”
CONNECTION OVER HIERARCHY
Something uniquely African could be felt in the way people connected. Across dozens of conversations, the theme of community kept surfacing.
Peter Mukucha from Last Minute Digital was struck by how approachable publishers were:
“They’re just regular people, open and genuinely interested in helping others grow. The openness has been incredible.”
Luyolo Mbatha, director and co-founder of Third Eye Games, added:
“You can literally walk up to anyone, even someone from Xbox, and they’ll chat and share opportunities. It’s so collaborative.”
But no one articulated this better than the event’s co-founder, Rex Bowden:
“At Africa Games Week, everyone’s on the same level. You can be an indie just starting out and still talk meaningfully with someone running a six thousand person studio. No egos. No hierarchy.”
Nhlanganiso Tshabangu, HyperForJ Studios Founder, captured it beautifully:
“This event reminds you that you’re not alone. It grows your network, but also your circle of friends. That sense of community is my biggest takeaway.”
In an industry where so many work in isolation, this matters.
THE NEXT FRONTIERS: OUTSOURCING, TALENT AND GLOBAL IP
If there was one shared prediction across all interviews, it was this: the next two to five years will be transformational.
Rex Bowden sees outsourcing as Africa’s biggest near term opportunity:
“It’s going to be huge. More outsourcing companies will open here, which means more Africans working on major international titles. That raises the technical standard and attracts more investment.”
Nhlanganiso Tshabangu sees a full value chain forming:
“We’re at a turning point. We’re creating work that meets global standards. That opens the door to the world’s biggest partners.”
The industry is no longer talking about potential. It is actively building the infrastructure that turns talent into careers and creativity into companies.
A GENERATION ARRIVING TOGETHER
There was something poetic about moments like the one described by Kieran Reid, who used to lecture game design.
“Seeing so many of my former students here, now running or working in studios, has been really special.”
Sound engineer and composer Angel Siringwani articulated the emotional energy of that rise:
“People are walking away from this week with so much knowledge. The industry feels like it’s on the edge of something big.”
This is a generation and an industry rising together.
As Ben Myres, Nyamakop CEO, put it:
“Next year is going to be amazing for African game development. I can feel it.”