Google Play on Friday inaugurated a $1 million Indie Games Fund to support emerging game developers across 32 African countries with funding, technical support and mentorship.

The managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Google Play, Ben Wilson, said in a statement that the initiative reflected Google’s commitment to nurturing Africa’s growing gaming ecosystem.

Mr Wilson said Africa’s creative talent has produced a vibrant game development community, but limited access to capital constrains many promising studios.

He said bringing this fund to the continent underscores Google’s commitment to unlocking the immense talent of local studios and helping them share uniquely African stories with a global audience.

“This initiative aims at helping independent studios scale their games, attract global audiences and unlock Africa’s growing creative and digital economy. The equity-free fund will provide selected studios between $50,000 and $200,000 to expand their businesses and strengthen game development,” he said.

Mr Wilson explained that beneficiaries would also receive hands-on mentorship from industry experts and technical support to improve game performance, visibility and market reach.

Mr Wilson said applications are now open to independent game studios registered in any of the 32 eligible African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. 

He added that eligible applicants must be privately owned studios with no more than 50 employees and have released at least one mobile, PC, or console game.

Mr Wilson said successful applicants would be required to publish their games on Google Play and, on a non-exclusive basis, participate in the Google Play Pass subscription programme for two years.

He said applications would close on July 31, while the 10 successful studios would be announced in September.

(NAN)