Afrime Studios enters seed round after raising $400,000 to build afrofuturistic RPG Unyverse

• The studio is building a public demo to secure a lead investor and unlock further capital
• The company is structured as a majority Black-owned studio focused on IP ownership
• High-profile mentors include leaders from Activision Blizzard, BioWare and Xbox

US-based Afrofuturistic developer Afrime Studios is moving into its seed funding round as it looks to scale production on its debut RPG and expand its broader ambitions across the African diaspora games market.

The company has raised close to $400,000 through an angel round and is now focused on securing additional capital, with plans to deliver a public-facing demo designed to attract lead investors and unlock further participation.

Founded in 2023 following an unexpected partnership between industry veteran Erik Reynolds and creator Crandon Dillard, Alfime Studios is structured as a majority Black-owned company.

The founders said the studio's mission is to serve an estimated 670 million gamers of African descent globally while retaining ownership of its intellectual property. 

Long-term strategy 

Moreover, the company has also secured high-profile mentors, including former Activision Blizzard vice chairman Bruce Hack, BioWare co-founder Dr Ray Muzyka, and former Xbox VP of global partnerships Leo Olebe. 

Its first title, Unyverse, is an Afrofuturistic sci-fi RPG that blends traditional role-playing systems with fighting game mechanics, allowing players to customise combat styles alongside narrative progression. 

The project is currently in pre-production, positioned between a vertical slice and early demo stage, with the long-term goal of bringing the experience to every platform, including mobile.

Beyond its debut release, Afrime Studios plans to evolve into a hybrid developer-publisher, supporting indie teams across Africa while expanding the Unyverse IP into other formats, including anime and comic books.