Takeaways from Gamathon Kenya 2025: Local devs inspire, XR gains momentum, but funding paths still unclear
The event highlighted the games industry in Africa through insightful panel sessions.
The Gamathon is a pan-African event by Africacomicade that supports game developers, animators, storytellers, and tech creatives by providing networking, showcasing, and collaboration opportunities
The event kicked off in Nigeria in 2020 and is now touring the continent with upcoming stops in Ghana, South Africa, and a return to Nigeria.
This year's first edition, Gamathon Kenya 2025, which took place from April 29th to May 2nd has concluded. The event included studio tours, industry dinner, spatial computing sessions and a main industry day. Let us break down what transpired.
Industry Dinner
The industry dinner took place on April 30th, 2025, at The Green Table Pizza in Lavington, Nairobi. The gathering included industry experts, developers, investors, and policymakers to foster collaboration and business-oriented discussions within the industry.
Africacomicade people and programs coordinator Oscar Michael, emphasized the need to build sustainable businesses in the games sector, particularly in Africa, where most are still developing their business models.
Douglas Ogeto presented the IGDA Special Interest Group for Incubation and emphasized its goals of facilitating exchange programs, event delegation, policy implementation, and incubation support, such as assisting the Zambia Games Developer Connect team in government engagement.
Moreover, he spoke about the challenge African developers face in attending global events like Gamescom and GDC, proposing a collaborative program to help overcome this barrier.
Furthermore, Heva Fund investment director Pamela Mutembei discussed funding opportunities for creatives, including the Thrive by Ota Fund and Sanara, urging game developers to apply and to treat their innovations as investable businesses.
The dinner featured Nimat Asunogie of Africacomicade, Faith Benson of Africacomicade, David Kamunyu from the Interactive Entertainment Association of Kenya and Mekan Games founder Evans Kiragu.
Event partners included WAI Network founder Wendi Ndaki, Ruth Nduta from Africa HackNest, Usiku Games' game producer Wesley Kanyeria, Africa games ambassador Brian - The Beast - Diang’a and Game Tribe founder Fredrick Munga.
Meridian Meet-up
The Meridian Meetup was held on May 1st, 2025, at BlackRhinoVR Offices in Nairobi and marked the first-ever Meridian Nairobi event to inspire mobile developers, designers, and product teams to explore extended reality (XR) and spatial computing.
The session opened with Oscar Michael discussing the commercial potential of XR, while BlackRhinoVR co-founder and managing director Brian Afande introduced MediAR, a Kenyan-developed, no-code augmented reality platform.
Brian showcased MediAR’s cloud editor with a demo involving a medical-themed AR experience and demonstrated how a 30-year-old book, without any modification, could display a beating heart using AR, challenging perceptions of legacy systems.
“These are 21st-century skills. You’ve seen what’s happening with AI and the future of jobs. They’re changing. The sooner you understand where the future is going by virtual trajectory, the better," said Brian.
“That’s how you create what we call critical separation. It’s what separates you from another artist. Are you leveraging technology? Or do you have a visual aesthetic that sets you apart?”
He later emphasized monetization strategies, including MediAR’s model of earning from AR content through unique views and customizable packages for larger projects.
The session concluded with a call to action from Oscar and Brian: build together, think long-term, and focus on community-driven growth. They stressed that the development of Africa’s creative tech space is a shared responsibility, reminding everyone that passion must be balanced with purpose and financial sustainability.
Industry Day
The main industry day of Gamathon Kenya 2025 took place on May 2nd at the Nairobi Game Development Center. The event brought together creators, developers, artists, and storytellers from the video games, animation, and XR sectors to share insights, network, and explore industry opportunities.
The speaker lineup included:
- Faith Benson - programs manager, Africacomicade
- Oscar Michael - co-founder, Africacomicade
- Devin Dixon - founder, Glitch
- Robert Schmiedl - co-Founder, TuuT Games
- Olympe Challot - lead, Bridge Program, SpielFabrique
- Evans Kiragu - founder, Mekan Games
- Dean Gichukie - founder, Kunta Content
- James Ahere - co-founder, Weza Interactive Entertainment
- Brian Diang’a - African games ambassador
- Kennedy Kyalo - 3D Artist, Kunta Content
- Ruth Nduta - founder, Africa Hack Nest
- Wesley Kanyeria - game producer, Usiku Games
- Wendi Ndaki - founder, WAI Network
Devin Dixon kicked things off with insights on building a loyal player base using data-driven strategies. He emphasized the importance of marketing early and growing a community during game development to reduce risks.
On game distribution, Olympe from SpielFabrique and Robert from TuuT Games discussed publishing games outside traditional app stores. They highlighted TuuT’s unique subscription model and the upcoming Mobile Pioneer initiative targeting hyper-casual mobile developers.
In terms of monetisation, Evans Kiragu, Dean Gichukie, and James Ahere tackled the challenges of making money in Africa’s game development scene, with a focus on community building and financial sustainability.
Moreover, Brian Diang’a and Wesley Kanyeria encouraged developers to focus on community engagement and market research. Alibaba Cloud’s support for African developers through resources and training was also discussed.
Furthermore, Faith Benson and Kennedy Kyalo shared personal stories about starting creative careers, stressing the importance of portfolios over formal education while acknowledging the role of training. The discussion included how to adapt to the rise of AI in the industry.
“Some jobs will go, that’s a fact,” said Ken. “Especially entry-level jobs - and those are usually where beginners get their foot in. The way to survive? Figure out how to work alongside AI.”
Speaking on the fear surrounding job losses due to the rise of AI, Ruth Nduta added: “AI is not taking jobs—people using AI will take your job.”
Wendi Ndaki’s session focused on mental wellness in the gaming industry. She introduced Safe In Our World and discussed the importance of safe creative environments, highlighting the game Ikeelya, which addresses psychological safety in workplaces.
“It’s not every day you witness someone who looks like you, and faces the same challenges, bring their bold vision to life at scale, right before your eyes," said Wendi. “Africans need to see each other win enough times to spark that realization that we can thrive, especially when we come together."
The Gamathon will hold three more editions in 2025 including Ghana, South Africa and Nigeria.
