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.
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.
In 2015, Free Lives released Broforce, which soon became an international sensation and a massive commercial success, earning the studio $3 million just one year after launch. Other Free Lives titles include Genital Jousting, Gorn, and Terranil. With its windfall, Free Lives invested heavily in developing the South African gaming ecosystem, organizing events like Playtopia, a three-day gaming festival in Johannesburg.
“It is very developer-focused. It’s primarily for the creators to gather and learn from each other. With the help of Devolver (Free Lives’ game publisher) – who also funds the event alongside us – we were able to fly in African devs from Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia, and Kenya, with no strings attached. Just come and meet people, attend talks, and play games,” Dominique Galowski, Free Lives Managing Director, said to the international publication Games Industry Biz. “Both African games and international games are shown so that there is a bar that is set. Because the young ones are coming, the next generation of developers, and we want them to see that this is what the standard can be, and shoot for this; you could be the game that does well.”
3. Standards of measurement
The South African gaming ecosystem grew steadily throughout the 2000s, and soon there were efforts to standardize the industry. In 2012, the University of Witwatersrand started the country’s first game design degree. The first generation of the country’s game development talent had been self-taught hobbyists; now, there was a reliable talent pipeline to feed the industry. There was a dire need for this pipeline, as many industry veterans had begun to move abroad and take jobs with foreign companies, leaving a skills development gap that the university filled.
The results were soon evident. In 2018, Semblance, a world-building game created by Braamfontein-based studio Nyamakop, became the first game developed by an African studio to be released on Nintendo. The game had begun as the final-year project of the studio's co-founders while they were studying for their game design degree at the University of Witwatersrand. Additionally, initiatives by Mind Sports South Africa, the local body behind competitive gaming in South Africa, to ensure that esports tournaments were played in elementary schools helped draw in a younger generation to the industry.
In 2023, 24 Bit Games was acquired by US-based Annapurna Interactive. The exit was a testament to how far the South African gaming industry had come, evolving from a niche pastime into a formidable global contender. What began in the 1980s as a hobby for a privileged few had blossomed into a vibrant ecosystem of developers, publishers, and esports teams. Early pioneers like Celestial Games and Free Lives laid the groundwork, proving that South African studios could create games that resonate globally. Esports teams like Goliath Gaming and Bravado Gaming have carved out a niche in the international arena, and the ecosystem is thriving.
Previously, South African game developers like Nyamakop had to travel from one gaming conference to another in search of publishers. Now, international publishers flock to South African gaming events like Playtopia and rAGE Expo, the latter of which drew over 30,000 visitors in December 2024. These gatherings have become hubs of innovation and collaboration, showcasing not only South Africa’s talent but also its growing influence in the global landscape.
The rise of game publishers like Carry1st has further solidified the continent’s position, providing a platform for local developers in South Africa and the continent to reach global audiences. Despite the challenges native to Africa, the South African gaming industry has come of age and become a continental leader. The next step is to become a bigger global contender.