This analyzes the potential of the gaming industry in Africa and collaboration opportunities with Japanese companies through an interview with "Leti Arts," a game studio originating from Ghana.
Africa's gaming market is rapidly expanding. According to a report by Carry1st, an African digital content provider, and Newzoo, a specialized gaming and mobile market research company, the market reached $1.8 billion in 2024, a 12.4% increase from the previous year, with a growth rate approximately six times that of the global market (2.1% increase year-on-year). Of Africa's approximately 1.5 billion population, over 60% are under 25 years old, and with smartphone proliferation and internet connectivity expansion, an estimated 32 million new game players emerged in 2024 alone.
Leti Arts was founded in 2013 by Ghanaian CEO Eyram Tawia and Kenyan CTO Wesley Kirinya. As a 25-employee game development studio, it focuses on developing culturally rich, high-quality games rooted in African traditions. All released games have exceeded 900,000 downloads, with monthly real-time players exceeding 100,000. The company has collaborated and consulted with over 60 companies including Microsoft, MTN, Vodafone, UNDP, WFP, Riot Games, and 8D Games. They also invest in talent development, having trained over 1,000 young creators from across Africa through internship programs.
Regarding Ghana's gaming industry current state, Africa has over 500 million mobile users, and the affordability of Android devices has contributed to mobile gaming proliferation. By genre, endless runner games and puzzle games are most accessible, while story-based RPGs are gaining popularity particularly among young people and female gamers. Synergies with music, film, and fashion industries are expected, with cultural phenomena like Nollywood (Nigeria's film industry) and Afrobeats (West African popular music genre) currently influencing digital storytelling.
Challenges include funding remaining a major issue, with many studios operating through personal assets, grants, and volunteer work. Infrastructure problems include unstable power supply, high internet costs, and difficulty obtaining high-performance devices. The market being fragmented across 54 countries with diverse languages, currencies, and regulatory frameworks also poses challenges.
Regarding collaboration opportunities with Japanese companies, they aim to leverage Japan's gaming industry traditions of narrative depth, animation artistry, and world-class development infrastructure to co-develop games that fuse African and Japanese stories and visuals, maintaining cultural authenticity while resonating with players worldwide. They also mention content translation and adaptation for local publishing channels to introduce Japanese games to African markets, and creating opportunities for Japanese game developers to recognize new story frameworks and market possibilities.
The article concludes that Africa's rapid gaming market growth and youth-centered demographics present significant business opportunities for Japanese companies, with expectations for new content creation through cultural fusion.