What does 2021 hold for the African gaming industry?

If we take a look at the African Gaming industry in 2020, the entire sector has made significant progress despite ongoing challenges. The continent was primarily focused on creating a powerful education program which led to the creation of many new companies. Africa formed the AGDA organization which was followed by the introduction of Pan-African Awards in the gaming sector. There were also different initiatives in the region including Prosearium which continued to produce a number of female developers. Despite the problems with the pandemic, the African Continental Free Trade Area was formed (known as AfCFTA) which moved the entire continent closer to becoming a free-trade bloc. According to the research firm Mordor Intelligence, the African gaming industry will record a CAGR of 12% between 2020 – 2025. This year is full of challenges and we can expect many new trends in the sector.

Despite regular challenges, most studies share the same opinion about Africa and the potential of its gaming industry. The number of young people in the continent is going up and they will significantly contribute to the overall growth of the industry. Young people will work on game releases and cybersport, aiming to support the sector with its creative ideas.

How Africa Is Getting Its Mobile Game On

Digital adoption will continue to accelerate, aided by the continuing pandemic. Africa has five of the top fastest-growing mobile markets, and the start of the free trade agreement will lead to governments identifying ways to facilitate the easy movement and interaction of businesses across the continent. It also has huge implications for Africa’s burgeoning gaming industry, as most users use their mobile devices for information, communication, and playing. There is a huge number of games, adapted for mobile casino gaming. Mobile applications are as secure as possible so that the player can safely use payment services while shopping or winning in mobile casino.

Educational Support of the Current Generation of Developers

As the number of young people continues to rise, it will also lead to the formation of new education programs. The main accent will be placed on the formal model of game development and game reviews. Regarding the support of the existing developers, hard work is needed for the transition of such companies to full-time jobs. This will also lead to the evolution of the whole industry.

One of the typical examples of an African educational program that supports young talents is a program created by AfricanGameDev. The organization strives to provide African Talents with means for working on new experiences. To get support from the organization, youngsters should be passionate about the creation of video games. The project is invented by NETINFO, an African school for 3D and video game production. The school was backed by Epic Games as part of the Epic MegaGrants. The project will be introduced in collaboration with enterprises, universities, schools, and organizations from 5 countries in Africa.

Competitive Landscape

If we take a look at current publishers, we can see South African Carry1st which has already set huge standards in the industry. It has passed a long way before establishing itself as a successful brand.  We should expect the formation of a similar publisher in the mobile gaming sphere. The competition is very important for developers who will have an opportunity to choose from different publishers.  Another important element for growth is money. Funding is very significant in the game development process. However, the developers from Africa used to face some prejudices regarding their financial status. Most developers from the continent sought additional forms of funding such as the Kickstarter route. Many things have already been achieved, but a new decade will bring new challenges along with new eSport Website guidelines.

Malta’s Move to Collaboration with African Online Game Developers

When it comes to the gaming sector, it seems that the industry as a whole is more sensitive to collaborative efforts between companies. One of the most recent steps has been completed by Malta which wanted to power its collaboration with African game producers in 2020. This is the best route for other countries to follow Malta’s examples and support other nations. The partnerships like this can bring great success like those accomplished by Warshmallows (This is a game produced by a Tunisian squad, but based in Malta).

At the end of the day, the success and progress of the African gaming industry will depend on creators. Many things have already been achieved, but experts agree that new challenges will arrive soon.