“There’s no big game that’s made by just one studio” 

Stay Informed

Get Industry News In Your Inbox…

Sign Up Today

There can be a misconception on how games are made, with some assuming the studio whose logo appears on the opening screen is a title’s sole developer, when that’s not always the case.

Speaking on stage during the second day of Lagos Games Week during the ‘The State of the Nigerian/African Games Industry’ session, Virtuos business development manager Soukayna Ennaji discussed the sometimes hidden talent behind the world’s biggest games.

“It’s an open secret in our industry where none of the studios that make the game you want to play – like Call of Duty, FC25 or Fortnite – are made just by the studio whose logo is on the front page,” said Ennaji. “It’s made by a constellation of different studios of different sizes, with each bringing a different type of expertise.” 

She added: “Many people don’t know it because when the credits roll for a game you don’t always see a big logo showing all the companies behind it, but there’s actually no big game that’s made by just one studio, I can’t think of one.”

“You need to polish talent” 

The panel also took a look at how Africa can grow its games industry, touching on the need for Africa to polish its talent, gain political momentum and find that global appeal. 

“Information is widely accessible. You could go on YouTube and other platforms to learn how to design,” said Ennaji. 

“But if you want to bring your game to the level of the expectations of the global market when it comes to quality and other specific skills, you can’t learn just from watching things. 

“You have to actually do the work and you need money to do the work. Also, I think it’s very important to differentiate between the development market and the consumption market.”

Political momentum 

Ennaji also emphasised that building a strong games ecosystem requires government support, and in Nigeria’s case, this means advocating for legal reforms and encouraging the government to recognise the industry’s potential.

“A lot of countries need governments to be in line with that ecosystem,” she continued. “It’s really really important and It’s really hard to create a games ecosystem without the support of the government in that growth.

“So the creative ecosystem in Nigeria would need to go through advocacy trying to change legal frameworks to try to get the government to buy into the potential of the youth and the industry.”