Africa's monetisation debate has a MENA dimension too

A debate is running through Africa's games industry about whether mobile gaming can deliver sustainable revenue, or whether PC gaming offers a more viable path forward. 

The conversation was sparked by commentary from Masseka Game Studio founder Teddy Kossoko in an interview with PocketGamer.biz and has now drawn responses from founders across the continent. One of the sharpest came from Egypt.

FitNot Games founder Abdallah Elshabrawy argues the problem is neither mobile nor PC, but the intersection of structural barriers and poor execution. 

Western ad networks that undervalue African traffic, currency volatility, and payment infrastructure built around credit cards in markets with single-digit card penetration are real constraints. But studios often make them worse.

"Studios targeting this market often miss a proper ad setup, no systems to bring players back, no pricing adjusted for local incomes," said Elshabrawy. "The game isn't ready to make money even when players show up. That's not the market failing. That's the studio failing."

You can read the full interview and follow the monetisation debate on PGbiz.