Kucheza Gaming CEO Bukola Akingbade on construction Africa’s long term via play and training

Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan returns on November eighth and ninth, 2025, providing an opportunity to achieve insights into the arena’s fastest-growing video games marketplace, MENA.

As a part of our MENA protection and run-up to the development, we stuck up with Kucheza Gaming CEO and founder Bukola Akingbade who mentioned investment demanding situations, the desire for affected person capital and the use of esports as a occupation gateway.

PocketGamer.biz: May you let us know a little about Kucheza Gaming and what you’re as much as at the moment?

Bukola Akingbade: At Kucheza, our title says all of it. “Kucheza” manner “to play” in Swahili. And in that easy phrase lies our profound trust: that play isn’t trivial. It’s robust. It’s transformative. It’s the language of the following era. We’re construction Africa’s long term via two core pillars: Kucheza Studios and our Video games in Training platform.

Kucheza Studios is the place we broaden authentic African IP and spouse on co-development initiatives. We not too long ago introduced a remastered model of Ìtàn Òrìṣà, a sport rooted in Yoruba mythology, and we’re now operating on a significant sport that explores deeper societal topics. 

At the have an effect on aspect, our Video games in Training initiative delivers what we name “Affect-as-a-service”. We carry computing training into public colleges the use of the ability of video games, in partnership with Virtual Schoolhouse, all mapped to the United Kingdom computing curriculum. It’s the place studying meets pleasure and futures are unlocked.

What number of team of workers do you presently make use of, and what are you doing to foster collaboration and recruit native skill?

We’re lean by way of design, with a core staff of simply over 10, and a longer community of as much as 30 creatives and builders who come on board as wanted. However numbers inform best a part of the tale. Our power lies in our neighborhood.

We’re Nigeria’s best Unreal Engine-authorised coaching centre, and we take that duty significantly. We paintings carefully with universities, construct strategic partnerships, and host Lagos Video games Week now not simply as a exhibit, however as a sign to the arena that Africa’s video games business is open for industry and wealthy with skill.

You’ve evolved video games for PC (Steam), iOS, and Android. How do making a decision which platform to focus on for a brand new sport?

We center of attention on succeed in, get admission to, and capacity. At the moment, cellular is our maximum direct path to avid gamers vis-à-vis our functions.

However as our inner talent units deepen and sources develop, we’re pushing towards extra formidable platforms. Our means is pragmatic however aspirational; we begin the place we will, and transfer regularly against the place we need to be.

How do you prioritise sources between growing video games and your different initiatives, like Recreation Artwork Outsourcing and your Unreal Engine Coaching?

It’s a balancing act, however one with function. Our guideline is sustainability: we paintings on initiatives that gas each our hobby, our pipeline and our studying development. It’s about opting for the paintings we like and that will pay the expenses.

Unreal Engine is greater than a device for us; it’s our ingenious bedrock. Our qualified running shoes who are a part of our studio staff take time each and every quarter to proportion their wisdom via coaching classes. It’s our method of creating the long run, now not only for us however for the business as a complete.

Communicate to us about your Video games in Training initiative. How did that come about and why is there a big center of attention on esports?

The spark got here from a e-book, ‘Ready by way of Diane Tavenner’. It modified the way in which I noticed training. In Africa, we rightly price training, however we will have to additionally evolve the process. If children love video games however hate faculty, why now not meet them the place they’re?

Since 2019, we’ve run workshops in partnership with Virtual Schoolhouse the use of video games like Simply Dance to show algorithms and created localised content material like Boulevard Good to discover virtual and bodily protection. In communities the place possibility is actual, we use video games to begin life-saving conversations. We’ve educated over 20,000 scholars.

Esports is our bridge to chance. It we could scholars play, sure nevertheless it additionally opens home windows into careers. At our annual inter-school event, scholars compete, shoutcast, create content material, and notice firsthand that the arena of video games is filled with roles they usually all subject.

A key takeaway from a consultation at Lagos Video games Week used to be that areas that thrive in sport dev generally tend to specialise. To your view, what must Nigeria excel at to face out globally?

That used to be an impressive consultation on co-development. Nigeria has actual strengths in 2D and three-D artwork, programming and QA. Those are the rules of world collaboration. If we center of attention on those, we will lead within the international co-dev economic system.

However skill on my own isn’t sufficient. We additionally want a coverage atmosphere that pulls funding. Tax incentives, like the ones observed in Colombia, Canada and the United Kingdom, would develop into our ecosystem from possible to powerhouse.

What do you suppose is the important thing to tapping into the African target audience? And why do you suppose some nonetheless fail to remember the marketplace in spite of its enlargement possible?

Africa is each a client marketplace and an inventive power. At the intake aspect, we’re seeing a gradual upward push, however the complete image will come once we put money into manufacturing. The tales are right here. The skill is right here. What’s wanted is infrastructure and international trust.

Occasions like Africa Video games Week and Lagos Video games Week are serving to to modify that. Each and every partnership, each and every pitch, each and every exhibit provides up. We will have to inform our personal tale louder and in additional rooms. And we will have to create the stipulations for long-term partnerships to thrive.

On the subject of investment and improve for sport studios in Africa, what has been your enjoy navigating the investment panorama? And the way do you suppose the African video games marketplace may draw in extra funding?

The investment panorama continues to be rising. A find out about by way of AFD at the cultural and artistic industries in Africa discovered that ROI can take over a decade. That’s a troublesome promote for normal buyers, nevertheless it’s now not a reason why to prevent.

That is the place govt, advancement finance, and mission-aligned capital are available in. We want daring, affected person buyers who see the lengthy sport. In the meantime, African studios will have to construct industry fashions that may maintain themselves proper from day one.

What are your ideas on rising applied sciences comparable to AI, AR and VR in video games? And do you will have plans to include AI into your sport advancement procedure?

AI, AR, and VR are reshaping the ingenious frontier. I’m particularly interested in the immersion of VR and the combined truth of AR. Those applied sciences will trade how we be informed, attach, and inform tales.

At Kucheza, we’ve already begun integrating AI into our workflows, in particular in audio, enhancing, and spaces that might normally require exterior improve. It’s about operating smarter and liberating our staff to concentrate on what makes our video games significant.

Stroll us via your plans for the remainder of 2025 and the approaching 12 months. Are there any explicit tasks or initiatives at the horizon that we must sit up for?

The 12 months forward is set deepening, now not simply increasing. We’re actively in search of extra co-development partnerships that permit us to be told and earn so we will reinvest in our personal IP and push the standard ever upper.

We’re excited to discover new platforms as our functions develop, and we’re laying the groundwork for one thing a lot larger: a studio that tells nice tales at a world same old and at a world scale.