Afrime Studios founders on funding Unyverse and building for 670m players of colour

• Afrime Studios confirmed it spent months building tech demos for publishers that never committed to a deal.
• Black-led studios receive roughly 0.04% of venture capital funding, and the weight of that is felt in every funding room. 
• Unyverse demo is the single biggest factor in converting publisher interest into closed deals. 
• CAA representation came from strategic alignment around Unyverse as a multi-entertainment IP, not just a game. 

Black-led game studios receive roughly 0.04% of venture capital funding. For studios building on the African continent, that number is not a statistic but a daily operating condition. 

US-based Afrime Studios spent months building tech demos for publishers that never committed. That decision cost the studio time, money, and momentum, and it shaped how the team now approaches every conversation with potential partners.

We speak with founder Crandon Dillard and co-founder Erik Reynolds about the discipline required to build Unyverse without selling the vision short, what 670 million players of colour mean to their distribution strategy, and why aligned capital matters more than available capital.

PocketGamer.biz: Could you tell us a bit about Afrime Studios. How did the studio come about and how big is the team right now? 

Crandon Dillard: Afrime Studios started from a very personal place. I wanted to build a world I had never seen at this level before, something unapologetically rooted in African imagination, but universal in its emotional and gameplay appeal. Not just culturally relevant, but competitively great on an indie game scale. We didn’t set out to be “different” for the sake of it. 

We set out to be undeniably Afrofuturistic. Right now, we operate with a lean core team and a flexible network of collaborators across art, engineering, design, and audio. That’s been intentional. We’ve stayed nimble while building something ambitious, because at this stage it’s about proving the vision at the highest level possible. 

Talk to us about Unyverse. When did development begin, and what platform are you targeting for launch? 

Erik Reynolds: Unyverse has been evolving over several years. Early on, it was about discovering what the world wanted to be, its tone, its mythology, its energy. Over time, that vision sharpened into something much more focused: an Afrofuturist RPG with real-time fighting game mechanics and a strong narrative spine. Right now, we’re in a build-and-prove phase. 

The world is defined. The story is defined. The combat identity is there. The focus now is on translating that into a demo that truly delivers on the promise. PC is the clearest initial launch platform, especially through Steam. It allows us to get direct player feedback and build momentum. But long-term, this is absolutely a cross-platform experience. 

Many African studios struggle with discoverability on storefronts. Who is the primary audience for the game and what is your plan for distribution and player acquisition? 

Crandon: We don’t see Unyverse as a niche product. Our audience is 670 million global players of colour, and gamers who love immersive RPGs, strong worldbuilding, and expressive combat. There’s a massive underserved audience, Afro-descendant players, who rarely get to see themselves at the centre of a world that is inspired from the wide diaspora of African culture. 

Our strategy is simple - serve a large demographic of the global games market, something it's never been given and create a new world for all RPG gamers to discover. We have to win on the fundamentals: trailers, wishlists, creator coverage, press, but we also have a cultural advantage. 

This world connects to conversations across gaming, Afrofuturism, music, animation, and global Black culture in a way that’s authentic. For us, distribution isn’t just storefront placement. It's a community. Its creators. It’s cultural alignment. That’s where discoverability becomes momentum. 

In terms of funding, you mentioned waiting on a second round of investment. What did your first round look like, and what are you targeting for round two? 

Erik: The first round was about building the foundation, advancing the creative, and proving that Unyverse can be a viable IP even before its core gameplay loop was recognised. This was made possible by our angel round. The next round is about accelerating production. 

We’re looking for investors who understand that this isn’t just a game, it’s a world with franchise potential. That means people who understand games, entertainment, and culture-driven IP. Not just capital, but aligned capital. The goal is to fully fund the next phase so we can move decisively into production instead of constantly operating in partial steps. 

You’ve gotten interest from partners like ID@Xbox. What’s actually blocking deals from closing right now? 

Erik: The demo is a big part of it. Everyone wants to reduce risk, and a strong vertical slice changes the conversation. But it’s never just one thing. It’s timing, deal structure, ownership, and market conditions.

It’s making sure that when we do move forward, it’s on terms that support the long-term vision of the IP. Interest is real. But we’re focused on converting the right interest into the right partnership. 

In our previous chat you mentioned falling into the trap of building tech demos for publishers. What did that cost you? 

Crandon: It cost us time, money, and momentum. That’s one of the hardest lessons for independent studios. You can spend months building something to satisfy a conversation that never converts into a deal. Now we’re much more disciplined. We ask: What actually closes this? Who’s making the decision? Is this tied to real capital or just interest? We still engage, but we don’t audition endlessly anymore.

On closing deals, you’ve previously shared that Black founders receive roughly 0.04% of VC funding. How does that impact your experience? 

Crandon: That number reflects venture capital across all sectors, but you absolutely feel it in games. You’re asked to prove more. Stretch further. Survive longer. We’ve been in rooms where the vision is clear, the opportunity is clear, and you still feel the weight of scepticism that isn’t evenly distributed. 

But that’s also why visibility matters. Every breakthrough widens the lane. It’s not just about Afrime Studios, it’s about changing the pattern. Ultimately its about unlocking more capital for African studios too. 

Afrime has representation from Creative Artists Agency, which is unusual at this stage. How did that come about? 

Erik: It came from alignment around the vision. Unyverse isn’t just a game, it’s a world. And that world has potential across multiple forms of entertainment. CAA helps us operate at that level. They make strategic introductions, help position the company in bigger conversations, and open doors that are otherwise hard to access. But at the end of the day, representation doesn’t replace execution. We still have to build something great. 

Talk to us about your ambition to eventually support other African and diaspora developers. And what advice would you give to another Black-led studio preparing to raise capital? 

Crandon: Our ambition becomes real when we’ve proven it ourselves. We want to build from a position of strength, where we can offer not just encouragement, but infrastructure, capital access, and real strategic support. Whether that lives inside Afrime Studios or as a separate entity is a scale question. But the intention is clear: this is bigger than one game. It’s about building pathways.

For raising capital, understand that the process may take longer than it should. Build for that reality. Be clear on your non-negotiables. Protect your ownership where you can. And don’t confuse enthusiasm with commitment. Also, build your audience alongside your raise. 

Figure out how you can get to market without external money. Momentum changes conversations. When players start validating what you’re building, doors open differently. Maybe by that time, you’ll no longer need their money. 

When should players expect a demo for Unyverse? What’s the timeline? 

Crandon: Yes, absolutely. But the timeline is tied to quality. We’re not interested in putting something out that undersells the experience. The biggest constraint is production bandwidth, taking something ambitious and delivering a polished, focused slice that hits immediately with players. We want the demo to create momentum, not just visibility.