Communiqué 61: How South Africa became Africa’s gaming capital

Between 2015 and 2021, the number of gamers in Africa more than doubled from 77 million to 186 million. South Africa accounted for 24 million.

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1. Game, set, match

The air was thick with anticipation and excitement in the final moments of the Carry1st Africa Cup. Noxious Gaming, one of South Africa’s rising esports teams, was on the brink of victory in Africa’s first-ever Call of Duty: Mobile tournament. Their opponents, Delta Esports, a fierce team from Kenya, had pushed them to their limits, but Noxious held their ground, with unmatched teamwork and precision. When the final kill was secured, the room erupted. South Africa had claimed the crown, and with the title came more evidence to support the country's claim as Africa's undisputed gaming powerhouse.

The tournament, hosted by South African gaming publisher Carry1st, reflected the explosive growth of Africa’s gaming and esports industry, which has become one of the fastest-growing sectors on the continent. Between 2015 and 2021, the number of gamers in Africa more than doubled, soaring from 77 million to 186 million, and South Africa accounted for 24 million of them. By 2024, the industry grew six times faster than the global average. In 2022, it earned $860 million, with projections suggesting revenues would reach $1 billion by 2024. But Africa exceeded those expectations by far, hitting a staggering $1.8 billion in 2024.

South Africa, alongside Nigeria and Egypt, had been one of the key countries driving this growth. Egypt's proximity to the Gulf region, with its deep pockets and investment flows, had helped fuel its growth. Nigeria's significant population and economic activity ensured that it would always be a key player in the continent's gaming industry. But South Africa had emerged as the continent’s true pioneer—relying not on population size or geographic advantage, but on its advanced infrastructure, a tech-savvy population, and a vibrant developer ecosystem.

2. Growing pains

The South African gaming industry began to develop in the 1980s. In its early years, the high cost of gaming consoles like the Sega Genesis and PCs limited the industry to a niche pastime of the more well-to-do population. Boys like Elon Musk got introduced to tech by developing games after school. By the 2000s, the end of apartheid and increasing internet access had helped diversify the industry. PC gaming surged in popularity, and communities of gamers began to develop, first in neighborhood LAN parties where gamers gathered for multiplayer sessions, and later on the internet. These gaming communities mostly played foreign games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, but some South African game studios had already begun to emerge.

Celestial Games, the country’s first game development studio, published Toxic Bunny in 1996. The game was a modest success in South Africa, selling 7,000 units locally, but it performed significantly better internationally, selling 150,000 units. The studio published other titles like Tainted, a science fiction role-playing game, but it was not as successful, and in 2001, the studio closed its doors due to financial constraints. However, the foundation had already been laid, and other studios were founded to replace it. Luma Arcade, Free Lives, I-Imagine Interactive, and 24 Bit Games were some of the studios that emerged after Celestial Games. Of these, the most successful was Free Lives.