Google Play has launched a $1 million equity-free fund which is aimed at supporting independent game developers across Africa.
Announced on Friday, the Google Play Indie Games Fund for Africa will provide grants ranging from $50,000 to $200,000 to selected game studios without requiring founders to give up ownership stakes in their businesses.
The initiative is open to developers in 32 African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana and Uganda.
The move comes as Africa’s gaming industry continues to attract global attention for its creative talent but faces persistent funding challenges that have limited the ability of many studios to scale and compete internationally.
In addition to the equity-free funding, selected studios will receive technical support from Google Play experts and mentorship designed to help developers optimise their games, strengthen their technical capabilities and improve discoverability on the platform.
Ben McOwen Wilson, managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Google Play, said the initiative reflects Google’s commitment to unlocking the potential of African game developers.
“Africa’s unique creativity has fuelled a vibrant game development scene. Bringing this fund to the continent underscores our commitment to unlocking the immense talent of local studios, providing the resources needed to scale businesses, refine creative visions, and share uniquely African stories with a global audience,” Wilson said.
Unlike traditional venture capital funding, the programme does not require participating studios to exchange equity for capital, allowing founders to retain full ownership while accessing financial and technical resources.
To qualify, applicants must be privately owned independent studios with no more than 50 employees and must have already launched a mobile, PC or console game.
Successful applicants will be required to publish their games on Google Play and participate non-exclusively in the Google Play Pass subscription programme for two years.
Applications are open until July 31, with Google expected to announce the 10 selected studios in September.
The launch highlights growing interest from global technology companies in Africa’s gaming industry, which has seen increasing investment as smartphone adoption, internet access and demand for locally developed digital content continue to rise.
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