This article is part of PocketGamer.biz's MENA Month profiling games companies and the top trends from the region. You can also discover more about the market at the Dubai GameExpo Summit powered by Pocket Gamer Connects on May 1st and 2nd.

As the African gaming scene continues to thrive, one company at the forefront of this growth is Carry1st. The game publisher has made a name for itself as a key player in the African gaming industry, fostering partnerships with top-tier publishers such as Electronic Arts and Activision.

Carry1st's commitment to enabling local payments and regional game servers has not only cultivated a stronger gaming community on the continent but also attracted international attention. We spoke with Spencer Ma, growth lead at Carry1st to discuss the company's expansion into other regions, current projects, and what we can look forward to in 2024.

PocketGamer.Biz: Could you tell us a bit about Carry1st and what you’re up to right now?

Spencer Ma: Carry1st is Africa’s leading publisher of games and digital content. Originally founded in 2018 with the launch of the popular mobile trivia game Carry1st Trivia, we focused our early efforts exclusively on developing games. However, we soon recognized a major stumbling block for the sector's expansion in the region - namely accessible payment solutions.

After identifying this market barrier, we rapidly evolved into a full-stack publishing solution, providing tailored marketing, distribution, payment solutions, and community engagement services. A key part of this transformation was the introduction of Pay1st, a proprietary payments integration, and the Carry1st Shop, an online marketplace to better monetize content in the region.

Last year, we teamed up with major players like Activision, Supercell and Riot Games to bring popular titles like Call of Duty: Mobile and Valorant to Africa. Since the beginning of this year, we've partnered with EA to expand FC Mobile in Africa. Meanwhile, we’ve received strategic investment from The Sony Innovation Fund. It's all part of our mission to make sure African gamers have access to the games they love.

How many staff do you currently employ and where are they based?

We’ve recently surpassed 100 employees, which was an exciting milestone for us!

We’ve got a truly global team with a strong presence in eight African countries - Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco, South Africa, and Tunisia - as well as a foothold in the United States. Our diverse, multinational workforce is a key driver in our success as a pan-African company, allowing us to understand and cater to the unique needs of different markets.

Why do developers and publishers need a local partner like Carry1st to publish in Africa and how do you select which games and companies to work with?

Carry1st plays a crucial role in enabling developers and publishers to successfully navigate the complexities of the African gaming market. The broader region presents several challenges, including expensive and limited data, low-spec devices, and low credit card usage, which restrict monetization opportunities for studios and content access for gamers.

To remedy this, Carry1st has built publishing solutions uniquely tailored to African markets, developing innovative new platforms and tools custom-built to optimize game creation, monetization, and distribution across the continent. This localized approach means that publishers can overcome the unique challenges of operating in Africa and unlock the potential of this booming market.

We recognize the importance of nurturing local talent and promoting homegrown content. Whenever possible, we work closely with African studios, like Qene Games, to showcase the region's creative potential and ensure that local voices and perspectives are represented in the gaming landscape. But that’s always part of a broader global outlook when selecting games and companies to work with.

At the end of the day, African users don’t just want games produced by African studios; like everyone else, they want to play the best games full stop. That’s why it’s so important for us to retain a global perspective and support international studios that want to scale here too.

You’ve partnered with the likes of Activision to power payments in titles like Call of Duty: Mobile in Africa. Why is it important for publishers to work with a partner for alternative payment methods in the region?

We have! Having a partner like Carry1st for alternative payment methods is really important for publishers aiming to monetize their games in the African market. The reality is that low credit card penetration has made it immensely difficult to serve the continent through traditional payment options.

That's where we come in. We solve the problem by enabling local gamers to purchase the in-game items that they love by using local payment methods and currencies. This allows African gamers to seamlessly access and pay for their favourite games.

Our model isn’t just geared towards solving localized issues though, it also taps into much bigger industry trends looking to open up gaming's distribution and payment ecosystems. By integrating alternative payments in underserved markets, partners like Carry1st can help expand the overall gaming pie for everyone.

Given your position as a key player in the African gaming scene, what are you doing to foster collaboration and recruit local talent?

We're firm believers in taking a hands-on approach. For us, this starts with our Africa-first hiring policy, which means onboarding a team who have a deep understanding of the nuances and dynamics of the continent's gaming landscape. This grassroots-level expertise allows us to authentically connect and resonate with African audiences.

We've also been heavily involved in nurturing the ecosystem from the ground up through accelerator programs and incubators. In the past, we've partnered with companies like CrazyLabs to run initiatives like their hyper-casual gaming CrazyHubs accelerator in Cape Town. With these programs, we’ve helped provide mentorship and resources to support aspiring African game developers and studios. This specific incubator resulted in the game ‘The President’ by Mekan Games, which broke chart records and made headlines for reaching #1 in the US on both Apple Store and Google Play.

A core part of our efforts is also building engaged communities of gamers through Carry1st’s Tribe. This community has rapidly grown to over 450k members by creating spaces for African gamers to connect, compete, and fully immerse themselves in gaming culture. Tribe has hosted over 200 unique tournaments and major events like Africa's largest all-female tournament, Women's War, and 1stival - uniting gamers for competitions, interactive gaming zones, and panel discussions on the industry's future.

As part of this wider effort to engage young talent, we also launched Tribe Campus - university chapters that have connected over 20,000 students to the gaming community across Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya. These campus chapters host gaming events and activations, and provide platforms for students to directly interact with developers through initiatives like live user testing sessions for major game launches, which showcase the opportunities available in the industry.

While your focus is on Africa, do you have any plans to expand into other regions and emerging markets like the Middle East in future?

Carry1st is always looking for ways to grow and connect with new audiences. That’s why we have a growing presence in North Africa and are keeping an eye on adjacent emerging markets in the Middle East!

As part of this effort, we’re going to be at Insomnia, the biggest Gaming festival in Egypt later this month, a country in which we have a strong gaming presence. Anyone attending the event can look forward to some exciting activations from Carry1st as well as top gaming influencers at the event.

How has Africa’s games industry evolved over the years and how has consumer behaviour towards games changed?

The African gaming industry has experienced a remarkable transformation in a relatively short span of time. With projections indicating we will surpass a $1 billion market size by 2024, the continent is shattering stereotypes about "emerging" markets. It’s increasingly evident that the African gaming market has already emerged, and that we have only really scratched the surface of its vast potential.

With this kind of growth, consumer expectations have also evolved. African gamers now rightfully demand seamless experiences with fast ping times and top-tier content delivery, particularly in competitive online games and shooter titles where these factors can make or break the gaming experience.

The industry's growth has been accompanied by an increased heightened demand for quality as African gamers seek experiences that rival the best in the world. This shift in consumer expectations is a testament to the industry's rapid progress and the rising prominence of African gaming on the global stage.

What do you see as the current opportunities and challenges facing the games industry in Africa? You recently mentioned console gaming is a big opportunity, for example.

While mobile gaming is often touted as a promising growth area, it is not just a promising future opportunity in Africa - it's already the dominant way people are playing games today. The Pan Africa Gaming Group (PAGG) recently reported that 92% of players in Africa already access games on their mobiles.

This widespread adoption of mobile gaming throughout the continent is largely due to the accessibility and affordability of smartphones compared to more expensive gaming consoles or PCs. With mobile gaming already so deeply entrenched in the African market, the potential for continued expansion of this segment is enormous.

Another promising area is fintech integrations and payments. Africa's low credit card penetration has created opportunities for adopting digital currencies and other financial innovations within gaming, leapfrogging solutions that Western markets have struggled with. The booming esports scene, fueled by the popularity of mobile gaming, also presents a promising opportunity, with major tournaments, sponsorships, and professional teams emerging across the continent.

However, the industry also faces some significant challenges. Infrastructure issues, such as high data costs, low phone specs, unstable power supply, and unaffordable internet access, limit access to gaming content for many consumers. Additionally, catering to the cultural diversity of over 3,000 ethnic groups and 2,000 languages across the continent poses localization challenges for many developers.

Despite these obstacles, the African gaming industry still has significant growth potential and opportunities for innovation.

How do you see the region's games industry evolving in the coming years?

The future of the gaming industry in Africa looks incredibly promising. As the ecosystem rapidly expands, there are more opportunities to bring African-inspired content to the global stage. The recent partnership between Nigerian game developer Maliyo Games and Disney to create a mobile game based on the Iwájú animated comic series is an exciting development in this vein. Hopefully, it is a sign of more such collaborations to come.

With the right support and platforms, the African gaming industry has the potential to showcase its unique perspectives and stories to the world, while also fostering a thriving local ecosystem of game developers and creators.

What are your plans for 2024? Are there any specific initiatives, projects or partnerships on the horizon that we should look forward to?

We've already had a very exciting start to our 2024 at Carry1st. Earlier this year, we partnered with EA to help expand the reach and scale of EA Sports FC Mobile across Africa. This has been a tremendously successful collaboration, and we’re excited to keep this momentum going strong in 2024.

We will also be ramping up our presence at major gaming events, starting with Insomnia in Egypt later this month. This will be a great opportunity for us to connect with players, and share updates on our work. So do keep an eye out for the Carry1st team at events this year!