Special: Gaming in Africa
The bi-monthly digest of technology and digital entertainment in Africa.
The future epicenter of global gaming
Driven by an ultra-young population and massive smartphone adoption, the continent is posting some of the fastest sector growth worldwide.
Top 4 African gaming hubs
What’s moving right now
🇲🇦 The rise of Rabat Gaming City
Morocco is structuring its gaming ecosystem around a major hub project designed to attract international studios and train 5,000 young industry professionals every year.
🌍 Global giants are moving in
Major players such as Sony, through the Sony Innovation Fund Africa, and Xbox are multiplying partnerships with local studios to bring African content and mythology into their catalogues.
🎮 Tales of Kenzera: Zau — a cultural breakthrough
Developed by Abubakar Salim and inspired by Bantu storytelling traditions, this major release shows the commercial potential of genuinely African narratives on the global PC and console market.
Key startups to watch
Carry1st
A major African publisher and studio that has also built its own integrated payment platform, letting gamers buy digital content without a bank card.
Gamr
A leading esports platform connecting thousands of players across Africa through major tournaments while helping organizations scout new talent.
Maliyo Games
A long-established mobile studio bringing African urban culture into mainstream gaming, including Lagos transport culture in Danfo Rush.
Qene Games
An award-winning Ethiopian studio reshaping East Africa’s tech landscape with mobile titles rooted in Ethiopian history, including Kukulu and Gebeta.
The sector’s key challenges
🏦 Monetization: the fintech challenge
Credit card access remains limited among young African gamers, so studios need Mobile Money rails — M-Pesa, Orange Money, Wave — to monetize through microtransactions.
🌐 Infrastructure & data costs
Competitive mobile gaming needs low latency and frequent downloads. High data costs and recurring power outages still limit adoption of bandwidth-heavy games.
Upcoming major events
Gaming financing: where is it going?
Access to capital remains one of the industry’s biggest challenges. While global tech funding slows, gaming keeps attracting money through increasingly hybrid models.
International venture capital
Specialized seed funds such as Afridigest and Voltron Capital are increasingly targeting digital entertainment.
Institutional grants
Organizations such as the Institut Français and Goethe-Institut actively support culturally significant game prototypes.
Debt financing
To avoid giving up equity, some founders are turning to models based on future revenue from their mobile apps.
Morocco Gaming Expo — MGE 2026
Morocco steps up its gaming ambition.
The event was officially inaugurated by Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, underlining the growing strategic importance of the gaming industry in Morocco. Held under the theme “Moroccan Talent,” this edition marked the industry’s shift from a passionate community toward a structured industrial sector.
🎮 A showcase for local studios
A new generation of Moroccan startups and developers presented playable prototypes through MGE PlayTest.
🎬 Cinema × gaming
The Moroccan Cinematographic Centre (CCM) encouraged film professionals to explore interactive storytelling and bridge cinema with gaming.
🏦 Banking support
Major financial institutions such as CIH Bank took part, signaling growing interest in supporting young gaming creators.
🏆 Esports & cosplay
National esports finals ran for significant cash prizes, alongside qualifiers for international cosplay competitions.
The attractiveness of Rabat Gaming City
Progress on the 3-hectare hub: MAD 160 million allocated by the state to build a leading incubator capable of attracting players from Japan, China, South Korea and Europe.
International co-financing
A memorandum of understanding signed with the Institut Français du Maroc to place young Moroccan creators in the Game Créalab Francophone residency in Europe.
Training for the “jobs of the future”
Growing focus on specialized degrees in programming, 3D art and game design, to retain local talent and build a skilled workforce.
Digital ethics: “Game Safe”
Dedicated panels on player data protection and cybersecurity across the gaming industry.