Africacomicade founder warns PC is not Africa’s monetisation solution

• Demand in African PC markets still leans heavily toward established triple-A titles over indie releases.
• The real priority, Esio says, is strengthening fundamentals, not debating platforms.
• Building complete, high-quality games and improving production capacity should come first.

Africacomicade founder Michael Oscar Esio has weighed in on the growing debate around monetisation strategies in Africa’s games industry following recent commentary positioning PC as a more sustainable alternative to mobile.

In a LinkedIn post, Esio acknowledged that mobile monetisation across Africa faces structural constraints and that market sizing data often requires scrutiny. However, he argued that framing PC as the solution risks oversimplifying the continent’s gaming realities.

“Globally, mobile remains the primary revenue driver in gaming and within Africa, a bulk of the creator and consumer base are mobile-first," said Esio. “The PC segment faces the same systemic limitations as the mobile games sector, and I dare say, even more."

He argued that structural hurdles on PC include accessibility challenges, limited disposable income, cultural perceptions of PCs as work devices, and a relatively small indie games audience compared to demand for established triple-A titles.

He added: “This is not to say we don't have success stories in mobile or PC. Industry analysts and experts in the sector have already repeatedly indicated a winning formula. Build a good complete fun game, and build global from day one."

Structure before scale

Esio maintained that the conversation should move beyond a mobile versus PC comparison and centre on reinforcing industry fundamentals.

These include building complete, high-quality games, improving technical and production capacity, developing sustainable funding pipelines, and grounding strategic decisions in country-specific data and unit economics.

“This is what makes the industry exciting and terrifying at the same time," he said. “Sustainable progress will only come from disciplined execution and globally competitive thinking, backed by long-term investments and structure." 

He added that growth remains concentrated in a handful of key markets, cautioning against broad generalisations about Africa as a single commercial entity.

Learn more about the industry in Africa and the Middle East at the Dubai GameExpo Summit powered by Pocket Gamer Connects on May 20th and 21st, 2026.