“I was pleasantly surprised that singers actually want to be in video games”

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Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan returns on November 8th and 9th, 2025, offering a chance to gain insights into the world’s fastest-growing games market, MENA.

As part of our MENA coverage and run-up to the event, we caught up with Masseka Game Studio founder Teddy Kossoko who discussed monetising celebrity conflict with Jabari, a mobile-first strategy and reimagining music culture in games.

PocketGamer.biz: What inspired the idea behind Jabari? Was there a specific celebrity feud that sparked it?

Teddy Kossoko: You know, we have a content platform and we’re targeting Africa. We managed to reach a 12% conversion rate, which is huge in the industry. The problem is volume. With our limited means, how could I get millions of users without spending millions on marketing? I needed a game with characters popular enough to attract people.

In the past, I tried football games, but footballers are very complicated, sometimes even a pain to deal with. During my stay in the US in 2024, I was thinking things through and came to the conclusion that rappers and singers are more impactful than footballers.

We could make a game featuring legendary and new artists, and leverage the rivalries between them like the two P-Square brothers in Nigeria, Didi B vs Himra in Côte d’Ivoire, or Booba vs GIMS in France, and so on.

So, I reached out to some agents, and they were excited about the idea. GIMS, the number one rapper, invited me to his concert. He’s a video games fan as well. I also contacted the agents of Burna Boy, Davido, and many others, and that’s how it all started.

Now we are building a game for the Western world but also for Africa with a Wakanda scenario.

Celebrity likeness rights are a tricky area. How are you approaching that challenge and how will characters be represented?

We tested many different styles, but each time I wasn’t convinced. We eventually settled on a style that’s somewhat cyberpunk, very colourful and visually striking.

As for the rights, we have them sign an agreement allowing us to use their image. Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised, singers actually want to be in video games. It’s not like in football. They’re looking for additional revenue streams, and when I explain that video games generate more money than film, music, and books combined, they’re stunned.

Then, once they hear that their peers have signed on, they want to be part of it too. So, we’ve secured a few big names, and the others naturally follow. Most of the time, it’s the agents who make the introductions.

We also have two athletes, for example. One of them is Patrice Evra, a former player for Manchester United and Juventus. He later returned to play for Marseille and famously did a high kick on a fan, and we even added that move into his character in the game. Now we are helped by Trace TV and supported by big names in the industry. 

If a celebrity declines participation but public demand is high, do you see the game working better with parody protections instead?

So for example, we haven’t received a response from Davido yet, but we’ve already created his character. We’re planning to add a system in the game where users can request to unlock the character. Then, I’ll go to his agent and say “X thousand people are ready to pay for this character”.

These are businessmen; they’re pragmatic. So am I. They won’t sue me; there’s nothing for them to gain from that. But I can bring them proof that the character could generate significant monthly revenue for them. Going the parody route is the easy way out, but I want the artists to be involved because I have a special strategy for this game.

Take us through other monetisation angles for the game. Will there be cosmetics or matchups?

There are several business models: ads, character purchases, paid rival battles, skins, and arenas. We’ll provide enough free content to make the game fun, but certain battles will be impossible to access without paying.

Some characters will also be available for a limited time, which allows us to introduce seasons, bringing characters in and out of the game.

Will the game feature real-time updates tied to current events or trending feuds?

That’s our ambition. I’m thinking of integrating AI-powered boosters that deliver daily news updates from the music world. Trace TV is our sponsor, and I’m considering creating a character based on a TV journalist who shares gossip and news from the rap and music scene. It could be really fun.

I think Twitter’s Grok would make an excellent celebrity journalist. I love its sense of humour.

For a fighting game about ‘monetising conflict’, how do you plan to make the game fun without ruffling too many feathers? 

Honestly, I don’t really care about so-called ethical limits. No one asks those questions to Tekken or Street Fighter. I just want to make a great game, with real fighting and a strong storyline.

I want to make people dream, maybe even provoke a little. That’s my only focus. We live in a world where people are way too sensitive. And honestly, other people’s feelings aren’t my problem.

Are you building the game in-house or working with external developers or studios? If so, which ones? 

It’s a mix. We have a team in Africa. The music is composed by a well-known artist from Senegal. The storyline is being developed in Morocco. There’s a team in France and external developers based in Ukraine. We also have our lead developer in Pakistan; he’s an amazing guy.

What stage of development is Jabari in right now, and what’s your timeline for launch? 

We’re still in the vertical slice phase, concept art, modelling, gameplay tests, and so on. We’re also starting with mobile, and then expanding to other platforms later, that’s for sure. But mobile is our starting point.

We’re hoping to present a prototype at Création Africa this October in Lagos, and I’d like to finish the game by the end of 2026.