Africa is inspired by the Brazilian games industry – 02/08/2023 – Tech

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Founder and CEO of the Maliyo Games studio, Hugo Obi has dedicated the last ten years of his life to the African games industry. Trying to expand the continent’s participation in a market that generated almost US$ 200 billion (R$ 950 billion) last year, the executive sees Brazil as an example to be followed.

“Brazilian industry has demonstrated that it is possible to compete in the global market, regardless of facing challenges such as the availability of qualified labor, financing and infrastructure. It is possible to be part of a global market and be relevant in it”, stated Obi to Sheet.

Despite the more than 4,000 km of distance that separates Brazil from Lagos (the capital of Nigeria), where Maliyo Games is headquartered, he identifies more similarities than differences between the two markets. In addition to social challenges, both countries have a population of just over 200 million inhabitants and a gaming market based heavily on titles for mobile devices.

“We’re going to reach 600 million smartphone users in two years [na África subsaariana]. People already have these computers in their hands that they use to access social networks, watch movies and also play games”, said Obi. “My goal is to transform this consumer market into a producer market as well.”

According to data from the consultancy Newzoo, Africa and the Middle East account for 15% of the population that consumes games, but were responsible for only 4% of the world’s revenue in the sector in 2022. Even so, it was the region that grew the most in revenue (about 10%) compared to the previous year, with Latin America in second place (6.9%).

It was with an eye on the growth of this market that Obi founded Maliyo Games in 2012, which creates games inspired by elements of African culture. It managed to consolidate itself in the continent’s market and today has 30 employees spread across five countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya and South Africa). His company, however, is still an exception.

“The situation in Nigeria is similar to that of most countries in Africa. There are very few studios, there is little trained manpower and many unexplored opportunities. Perhaps this is a little different in Morocco, where Ubisoft once had a studio, and in Africa South Africa, which has released several successful games, but the rest of Africa is far behind”, he says.

His studio’s main focus is the production of games for the African market. Therefore, its games are all free, heavily influenced by the cultures of the continent and developed for mobile devices.

Its biggest hit is “Whot King”, a card game with rules similar to “Uno” popular in countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Benin and Togo, but its catalog includes games of different genres. “Aboki Run”, for example, is an “endless runner” that makes references to African legends, and “Jungle Escape” is a “side scrolling” in which the player needs to fly a plane avoiding dangers and collecting coins in the jungle.

This strategy, however, is seen by Obi as a starting point for his goal of expanding Africa’s participation in the global electronic games market.

“The games industry is very diverse. We should have Africans involved in these teams to build something that is truly for the whole world. There’s no reason why studios in Japan, Sweden or Brazil can’t work with studios in Nigeria, Ghana or in South Africa in a global project”, says Obi. “We can contribute.”

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play

game tip, new or old, for you to test

Terra Nil

(PC, Android and iOS)

Speaking of games from Africa, one of the biggest recent hits to come out of the continent was “Terra Nil”. This laid-back strategy game was created by South African studio Free Lives and subverts the city-building genre. Instead of creating increasingly complex structures to generate money and growth, the player aims to recover the environment in a devastated scenario and, finally, erase any trace of human presence to let nature take its course. The mobile version of the game is exclusive to Netflix subscribers.

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update

news, releases, business and what matters most

• Microsoft announced a 1% growth in revenue for its games division in the last quarter of its fiscal year (April to June). The growth was below the company’s expectations, even so, with sales of US$ 15.5 billion (R$ 73.3 billion) in the fiscal year, it reached its second best mark, behind only the US$ 16.2 billion ( BRL 76.6 billion) in 2022.

• Capcom announced a 99% increase in revenue for the April-June quarter. The growth was attributed to the good result in sales of “Street Fighter 6” (2 million copies), released in June, and “Resident Evil 4 Remake” (5 million copies), released in March.

• Sony announced that it has surpassed the mark of 40 million units sold for the PlayStation 5. According to the GamesIndustry.biz website, the console’s sales pace is similar to that of the PlayStation 4, which reached the mark two months earlier than its launch. Not a bad result considering the console launch was impacted by logistical issues resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.

• The game “Dreams” will be made available for free to subscribers of the PlayStation Plus service in August. Interestingly, Media Molecule, the game’s developer, stated that it would stop supporting the title online on September 1st. “Death’s Door” and “PGA Tour 2K23” subscribers will also be available.

• CD Projekt Red, developer of “The Witcher” series, has announced that it will lay off 100 people during a restructuring process. The layoffs will extend until March 2024 and will reach 9% of the Polish company’s workforce.

• Nintendo plans to launch a new console in the second half of 2024, the VGC website said citing anonymous sources. According to the publication, some partner studios of the Japanese company would have already received game development kits for their next console, which, like the Switch, could work in portable mode.

• Ubisoft has canceled a sequel to the “Immortals Fenyx Rising” game, the VGC website has claimed. According to the publication, the game would be in early development at the publisher’s studio in Quebec. In response, the company said it was reallocating its staff and resources to as-yet-unannounced projects and focusing efforts on its core brands.

• BGS (Brasil Game Show) announced that, for the first time, the game event in Brazil will have the participation of Sega. According to the organization of the event, the Japanese developer creator of ‘Sonic’ will have a stand of 500 m². The event will be held between October 11th and 15th, in São Paulo.

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download

games that will be released in the next few days and promotions that are worthwhile

Aug 3

“Baldur’s Gate 3”: BRL 199.99 (PC)

“Adore” (Brazilian game): BRL 34.99 (PC), BRL 37.99 (Switch), BRL 49.95 (Xbox One/X/S), price not available (PS 4/5)

“Flutter Away”: R$59 (Switch), price not available (PC)

Aug 8

“Gord”: BRL 129 (PC), BRL 149.99 (Xbox X/S), BRL 174.50 (PS 5)

“Fantasy Tower”: BRL 59.50 (PS 5)

“WrestleQuest”: BRL 112.45 (Switch), price not available (PC, PS 4/5, Xbox One/X/S)

promotion of the week

Alongside the release of “Baldur’s Gate 3”, Humble Bundle is selling a bundle of classic RPG games based on the Dungeons & Dragons universe. For $12, you get eight games, including remastered versions of the first two games in the “Baldur’s Gate” franchise. The promotion ends on August 9 and part of the amount raised will go to charities.