6 Gaming Companies with Afrocentric-Themed Offerings

Aurion Screenshot Kiro’o Games In 2003, Cameroonian game designers and entrepreneurs Madiba Olivier, Yakan Dominique and Waffo Hugues wanted to create Central Africa’s first gaming company. The country had an enthusiastic gaming community, and that year Kiro’o Games was created to fulfill that need in the marketplace. Over the course of a decade, the company grew into one of the most successful gaming companies in Africa. Their most recent project, "Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan," is based on traditional Cameroonian and other African myths comparable to many fantasy games on the market. The game's protagonist, Enzo Kori-Odan, is the rightful ruler of the Zama kingdom and must use ancient magic to regain his homeland from invaders. Avid gamers can purchase this project on PC now and on Playstation 4 soon. Black Sands: Legends of the Rift Screenshot Black Sands Entertainment This American-based company was formed in New York City this year to add diversity to the majority white video game industry. The company's first game is "Black Sands: Legends of the Rift" is a visually intricate game that combines mythology with sci-fi. Manuel Godoy, the company's president, tells Atlanta Black Star, "The mythologies used in the Black Sands Universe included Kemetic-Kushite, Canaanite, Minoan, Greek, Akkadian, and Hindu cultures. This brings a robust and highly educational value to an already incredible story line." Players have the opportunity to play as Ra--- also known as the Dark Pharaoh--- as he proves to his creator, Nun, that he is worthy of freedom and independence. As a player, gamers are immersed into a visual novel-like experience in which "you must do investigations, tracking missions, explorations, and team management." "Black Sands: Legends of the Rift" will be available on PC, Mac, and Linux next February for the estimated price of $24.99. Mosquito Smasher Screenshot Maliyo Games Maliyo Games is a Nigerian video game company co-founded by Hugo Obi and Oluseye Soyode-Johnson. Since early 2012, the two men have been releasing games that have Black characters and are set on the African continent. To date, the gaming studio has created 15 mobile games. Maliyo Games gained success with popular games like "Mosquito Smasher" 1 and 2, which is similar to Angry Birds and involves players fighting against a villain who uses insects to harm tourists in Nigeria. Okade Ride Screenshot Some of their other interesting forays into gaming includes "Okade Ride." This game takes place on a hot day in Lagos, Nigeria, where players must navigate through various obstacles to get to work. Africa's Legends: The Game Screenshot Leti Arts Games and Comics This Kenyan gaming company launched in 2009 when friends and co-founders Eyram Tawia and Wesley Kirinya decided to act on their passion for video games and comics. Leti Arts has become a well-rounded media and tech company specializing in app and gaming development. Their nine games are available on mobile, social media platforms and the web. Africa's Legends: The Game Screenshot Leti Arts' most popular projects include their "Street Fighter"-inspired game, "Africa's Legends: The Game." This mobile "tile-matching puzzle based, fight simulation" game features characters who originate from African myths, and some are original creations. Gamesole Gamesole is a Nigerian video game company that was started by Abiola Olaniran in 2013. Most popular games are Bird Republic and Lagos Traffic, where the objective is to remove a blue car from the traffic jam. However, the company is bringing out some of the coolest 3D games on the market. Their latest is "Gidi Run," a game set in Lagos, Nigeria featuring a "bribe-collecting cop and crazy Lagos bus drivers." To date the company has produced 22 games that are available on Android, Windows and Xbox. Olaniran has been producing games solely for Windows since launching in April of 2013. Afro Fighters Screenshot Kuluya The company's founder, Olakunle Ogungbamila, started Kuluya Games in 2012. Since then, the gaming studio created seven games based in Africa and starring Black characters. One of their most popular games is 2014's "Afro Fighters." This game is reminiscent of "Mortal Kombat" or "Street Fighter" because it is a fighting tournament set-up to thwart the plans of Dark Lord Oti to rule the world. It is described on Google as: "A prophesy of young fighters was told, that they will emerge from the ruins of Africa to challenge the evil plans of Oti." The Nigerian-based company's website closed down in 2015, but their games are still available on Google.

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