Taking The Kaiyo Mission to Africa Games Week

Disclaimer: This DevLog is intended to help anyone, who is in a similar situation we are in at the moment. Everyone has to make their own decisions. This merely is our own honest view and opinion, based on our experience. We would love to hear from you, what you think about it all. We wish you all the success and fun you deserve with the development and release of your game! eXplore Studio

Last week, we had the immense privilege and honour to present our indie game ‘The Kaiyo Mission’ at Africa Games Week. Established over five years ago ‘to shine a spotlight on the African gaming industry and showcase the awesome talent found on the continent’, Africa Games Week  hosts ‘many studio heads, developers, and game industry professionals from the African continent and allows international gaming businesses, creative businesses, etc… to learn more about Africa and the gaming industry’*.

With about 400 participants this year, so definitely more intimate than the major renowned conventions you might have heard of, Africa Games Week was surely the right place for us. We kicked off the conference with our presentation called ‘How on Earth can you develop a game with a bunch of people on different continents?’, which showcased not only the way we work with people mainly from Africa, the US and Europe but also the African heritage and African music we have implemented in our science-fiction game. Additionally, we attended several talks and panels, took part in workshops, and most importantly, we had the time over four days to really get to know the other participants, create meaningful connections and even develop some promising partnerships. We found ourselves captivated by this welcoming, inclusive, and exhilarating community of people who speak the same ‘gaming’ language as us and understand the journey of developing and publishing  a game. Needless to say, that conversations were easy and natural, like if we had known each other for a long time. It allowed us to share our highs as well as our lows, or some personal tips that we have had a chance to experience over time, a great way to further deepen the discussions and make them more memorable. When open-minded people from different continents or backgrounds, yet with the same passion and dreams, come together, a positive flow of energy emerges that everyone can appreciate, take back to their respective homes, and nurture.

So, being part of African Games Week was without a doubt a fantastic opportunity and considerable success. Meeting talented and inspirational developers and game industry professionals, building relationships, and learning about new developing and publishing tools were among the highlights of the conference. What an amazing experience! What an incredible and beautiful community!

*AGW website link: https://gamesweek.africa/