Gamathon Nigeria 2025: Africa’s Gaming Pulse Beats Louder Than Ever

Building a game is never easy, sustaining a creative vision is even harder.

Online sessions keep the doors open to everyone, but nothing rivals the spark of an in-person exchange.

Mobile and PC games still lead the charge, yet AR is quietly stealing the spotlight as the next big frontier.

Africa’s wave of young creators continues to rise, even as funding hurdles persist.

Six Days of Passion, Progress, and Perspective

The 2025 edition of Gamathon Nigeria, powered by Africacomicade, wrapped up after six days of intense discussions, networking, and showcases uniting developers, publishers, investors, and esports professionals under one creative roof.

From insightful keynotes by Edu Shola, Madiba Guillaume Olivier, and Thorsten S. Wiedemann, to deep dives from Feranmi Oladosu and Douglas Ogeto, this year’s event was a testament to how far Africa’s interactive media industry has come and how far it’s still willing to go.

Day 1 opened with a press conference and industry dinner, setting the tone.

Day 2 & 3 followed with gamer workshops and pitching sessions, sparking fresh ideas.

Day 4 united game developers across Africa, sharing passion and vision.

By Day 5, the spotlight was on the studios with names like Deluxe Studios, Tepida, Goodu Games, Dawn Games, Logic Dev, Swift XR, Lazy Game Dev, Argo, iTTHYNK, JUJU Games, Cregon, Skodo XR, Immersia VR, ESE Games, Mobilee, ERDI, and more showcasing titles in development and games already making waves.

Alongside these inspiring devs were global and local giants like MSI, AXEON, Afrihealth, Sanlam, plus the world of comics and animation represented by Comicon Republic and Aniwe Convention.
Esports was not left behind — GamEvo and Esports Africa News Nigeria carried the flame of competition.This day also crowned winners of the pitch awards, while panel sessions and networking brought the community closer.

The final day was electric creatives, devs, animators, esports players, fans, artists from Mavin Records, sponsors and partners like Shuttlers, Minimie, Semi-colon, UN all gathered under one roof.

And the story doesn’t end here… Africa-Comicades Gamathon is now set to become bi-annual, promising to return three times bigger and better.

After days of panels, B2B matchmaking, and playtesting sessions, here’s what stood out most for us at Gamathon Nigeria 2025.

The Wake-Up Call Has Arrived

One recurring theme across sessions was realism, the realization that passion alone doesn’t ship products.

Feranmi Oladosu, founder of Fer Factor, delivered one of the event’s most talked-about sessions, sharing that “95% of African developers never ship a finished game, not for lack of creativity, but because completing one is genuinely hard work.”

That honesty struck a chord. The message was simple yet powerful, start small, stay consistent, and finish something.

It’s a reminder that good graphics or hype won’t attract investors sustainability, team structure, and iteration will.

And this truth extends beyond developers, esports organizers, casters, and teams face similar growing pains.

Africa’s gaming ecosystem is maturing, and the conversation is finally shifting from excitement to execution.

Presence still carries weight!

While hybrid and virtual events have become the norm, attendees at Gamathon agreed nothing replaces in-person energy.

Panel rooms buzzed with ideas, spontaneous meetups turned into partnerships, and attendees networked late into the evenings.

For many, the highlight wasn’t just who spoke, but the real-world connections formed afterwards.

Virtual panels make knowledge accessible, but live sessions build community, they humanize the industry.

And as one participant noted, “Sometimes, the most valuable moment isn’t on stage, it’s at the table after or seated in a bar”.

On the esports side, discussions centered on creating better player pipelines, grassroots tournaments, and brand partnerships that could sustain African teams long-term.

The floor became a living example of what happens when development, competition, and creativity collide under one roof.

But readiness remains a question. As Masseka Games’ Teddy Kossoko put it, “VR might be a global trend, but AR fits Africa’s reality, It lives on the devices people already own.”

Developers showcased imaginative AR integrations that blend gaming, education, and storytelling.

And while cost remains a constraint, the enthusiasm for creating scalable, mobile-based experiences is reshaping how African studios approach the future.

Real or Not?!

Africa’s creative energy remains unstoppable and if Gamathon 2025 proved anything, it’s that the continent isn’t chasing global trends anymore. It’s creating its own.

Gamathon Nigeria 2025 was more than an event, it was a snapshot of an industry growing into its identity. The discussions were honest, the showcases promising, and the energy unmatched.

As we look toward 2026, the message is clear: Africa’s gaming story is no longer “emerging”, it’s evolving.