While the video game market has generated almost $120 billion in 2017, it has estimated that it could reach up to 235 billion by 2022. Still, for the moment, Africa does not represent up to 1% of this industry.
Yet, things could soon change since the video game market is dynamizing little by little on the African continent.
Mobile games: easier access
Since consoles and computers are still too expensive for most Africans, most people are turning to mobile gaming. Indeed, many developers are now designing applications that can be of use on mobile to meet the growing demand of African consumers. This trend is particularly present in the niche of online casinos.
To make themselves known, these websites offer promotions to their new users. For example, LeoVegas Casino grants free rewards to these customers, without having to make an initial deposit. Note that there are some specialized platforms that make it easy to compare different online casinos to find the best bonuses. So, it is best to conduct exhaustive searches before choosing an online casino.
The emergence of local games
At present, many video game companies are emerging across Africa. Some of them have been successful thanks to their creations. This is the case of the Cameroonian company Kiro’o, which has had great success with the adventure game Aurion. Although their means are much limited, there would still be close to 300 studios that scattered on the continent. Companies have even appeared in the Central African Republic and Madagascar.
According to Sidick Bakayoko, creator of the Ivorian company Paradise Game, video game designers must focus on the cultural richness of their countries to stand out from their American and Asian competitors. This observation is also corroborated by the remarks of the analyst Thierry Barbaut. “If you want to develop a game, being Ubisoft for example, without knowing the African culture. It’s almost impossible,” he said in an interview with the media Sputnik.
Draw Crowds
Several events to promote video games are now organized in Africa, as showed by the holding of the second edition of the Festival of Electronics and Video Game Abidjan (FEJA) held from 23 to 25 November. Besides, to allowing young people to take part in a video game tournament. This festival was also aimed at explaining to stakeholders how this industry works. In organizing the event, the Paradise Game company wanted to educate the population on the jobs that any aspiring person can aspire for.
In short, Africa is fertile ground for video game developers who are looking for great growth potential. While the industry is currently dominated by Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, Nigeria, Algeria. Other countries like Cameroon are beginning to emerge as leading players.
