Africa reports and market data
16 documents·12 writers·271 charts and tables
Documents
Naavik53 min
Lucy Hoffman: Unleashing Africa’s Gaming Opportunity
Africa represents a burgeoning frontier for the global gaming industry, driven by a massive, youthful population and rapidly increasing digital connectivity.
- Africa presents a 1.4 billion person addressable market, mirroring the growth trajectory seen in Southeast Asia a decade ago.
- Successful monetization requires specialized payment infrastructure that integrates over 90 regional methods, including mobile money and bank transfers, to overcome low credit card penetration.
- The industry is shifting toward a vertically integrated model that combines internal game development, full-stack publishing, and proprietary financial infrastructure.
NaavikMar 2023
Report15 pages
The African Mobile Apps Landscape (2021)
The African mobile app market experienced a period of rapid acceleration between Q1 2020 and Q1 2021, driven by a young, mobile-first population and the unique conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Between Q1 2020 and Q1 2021, mobile app installs across Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya grew by 41%, with Nigeria leading the growth at 43%.
- The gaming sector saw a 50% jump in installs during Q2 2020, while in-app advertising revenue for gaming surged by 167% between Q2 2020 and Q1 2021.
- In-app purchasing revenue for gaming peaked in Q3 2020, contributing one-third of the total annual revenue.
AppsFlyerJan 2021
Game Developers Conference31 min
Squeezing into the Industry: How a Couple African Kids Made a Video Game
The independent game development landscape presents formidable barriers to entry, particularly for creators operating outside traditional global hubs like North America or Europe.
- Emerging studios in isolated regions must prioritize long-term institutional survival and reputation building over the pursuit of immediate blockbuster success.
- Strategic survival requires aggressive scope management and maintaining a constant, demo-ready state to facilitate engagement with Western markets.
- Financial sustainability for first-time developers often necessitates a reliance on government grants and significant personal sacrifice to offset high development costs.
Game Developers ConferenceFeb 2020
Report30 pages
Gaming in Africa 2024
Gaming in Africa 2024 reveals a market that is overwhelmingly mobile-centric, with 92% of respondents playing on phones and 81% using smartphones.
- The African gaming market is overwhelmingly mobile-centric, with 92% of users playing on phones and Android devices accounting for 92% of all downloads.
- Monetization is driven by microtransactions, utilized by 63% of players, with Kenya serving as a key market where mobile money accounts for over 60% of payment methods.
- Player engagement is high, as 78% of respondents played within the last day and one-third of gamers spend three or more hours per session.
GeoPoll