Sony is making a bold bet on an African gaming startup to boost PlayStation’s reach in the continent
Sony is hoping to expand PlayStation’s reach in the continent.
www.cnbc.com
Sony is making a bold bet on an African gaming startup to boost PlayStation’s reach in the continent
- Thread starter Fenton
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www.cnbc.com
True masters of gaming. No one did more than Playstation for gaming.
Sony has invested an undisclosed sum in Carry1st, a video game studio based in Cape Town, South Africa, via its Sony Innovation Fund venture arm.
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The deal is a strategic investment that will see the two companies partner on a range of commercial opportunities. For now, the two companies are in the “exploratory stages” of that partnership.
Cordel Robbin-Coker, CEO and co-founder of Carry1st, said talks with the Sony Innovation Fund began about eight to nine months ago, and that his pitch to the PlayStation console maker was that Africa is the next big market to find growth in video games.
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“We believe very firmly that there is an incredibly underrated console opportunity in Africa,” Robbin-Coker said, citing countries like Nigeria, Morocco and Algeria as places where console adoption is rising a lot.
Sony is coming into an emerging gaming market with blistering growth potential. Sub-Saharan Africa’s gaming industry is expected to generate over $1 billion for the first time in 2024, according to research from Carry1st and venture capital firm Konvoy.
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One aspect of Carry1st’s partnership with Sony was about helping the games and entertainment giant expand PlayStation’s footprint in Africa.
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Sony’s bet with its stake in Carry1st is that Africa will be the next major market to drive growth in PS5 sales.
“Our hope is that we can help [Sony] to expand their reach of PlayStation in the region and support them in a range of ways, including broader go-to-market strategies, as well as digital payments,” Robbin-Coker told CNBC.
He noted Carry1st could take advantage of the changing console business model, where sales have gone from primarily in-store payments for physical consoles and games to a more online experience marked by digital downloads, free-to-play games, and in-app purchases.
Carry1st’s localized payment service Pay1st allows African gamers to buy games using local infrastructure, bank accounts, and payment methods including M-Pesa and mobile wallets. Game makers can monetize their games on Carry1st, the company’s online marketplace for games and add-on content.
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Carry1st works with the likes of Activision, Supercell and Riot Games to bring Western game franchises like “Call of Duty: Mobile” and “Valorant” to Africa.
The company is behind the mobile games “Mancala Adventures,” “SpongeBob Krusty Cook-Off” — made in partnership with Nickelodeon — “Ludo Blitz” and “Mine Rescue.”
Sony’s investment in Carry1st marks the first financial commitment of its new flagship African venture fund, Sony Innovation Fund: Africa, which launched in October 2023 to invest in early-stage startups in Africa’s entertainment industry.
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Sony Ventures Corporate, Sony’s venture arm, allocated an initial $10 million to its Africa fund.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/29/pla...ests-in-african-gaming-startup-carry1st-.html
...
The deal is a strategic investment that will see the two companies partner on a range of commercial opportunities. For now, the two companies are in the “exploratory stages” of that partnership.
Cordel Robbin-Coker, CEO and co-founder of Carry1st, said talks with the Sony Innovation Fund began about eight to nine months ago, and that his pitch to the PlayStation console maker was that Africa is the next big market to find growth in video games.
...
“We believe very firmly that there is an incredibly underrated console opportunity in Africa,” Robbin-Coker said, citing countries like Nigeria, Morocco and Algeria as places where console adoption is rising a lot.
Sony is coming into an emerging gaming market with blistering growth potential. Sub-Saharan Africa’s gaming industry is expected to generate over $1 billion for the first time in 2024, according to research from Carry1st and venture capital firm Konvoy.
...
One aspect of Carry1st’s partnership with Sony was about helping the games and entertainment giant expand PlayStation’s footprint in Africa.
...
Sony’s bet with its stake in Carry1st is that Africa will be the next major market to drive growth in PS5 sales.
“Our hope is that we can help [Sony] to expand their reach of PlayStation in the region and support them in a range of ways, including broader go-to-market strategies, as well as digital payments,” Robbin-Coker told CNBC.
He noted Carry1st could take advantage of the changing console business model, where sales have gone from primarily in-store payments for physical consoles and games to a more online experience marked by digital downloads, free-to-play games, and in-app purchases.
Carry1st’s localized payment service Pay1st allows African gamers to buy games using local infrastructure, bank accounts, and payment methods including M-Pesa and mobile wallets. Game makers can monetize their games on Carry1st, the company’s online marketplace for games and add-on content.
...
Carry1st works with the likes of Activision, Supercell and Riot Games to bring Western game franchises like “Call of Duty: Mobile” and “Valorant” to Africa.
The company is behind the mobile games “Mancala Adventures,” “SpongeBob Krusty Cook-Off” — made in partnership with Nickelodeon — “Ludo Blitz” and “Mine Rescue.”
Sony’s investment in Carry1st marks the first financial commitment of its new flagship African venture fund, Sony Innovation Fund: Africa, which launched in October 2023 to invest in early-stage startups in Africa’s entertainment industry.
...
Sony Ventures Corporate, Sony’s venture arm, allocated an initial $10 million to its Africa fund.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/29/pla...ests-in-african-gaming-startup-carry1st-.html
They only spent a portion of $10M, but I think it has a lot of potential. Can help them sell more consoles there, also improve the digital payment options for the area for PSN and future Sony mobile games plus also help them to spot local indie teams for a potential future PlayStation Africa Hero Project.
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Wont see nintendo or ms doing shit like this. This is what PS have always done, bust open regions and give their partners more customers to sell games to.
Oh damn. I actually applied there lol Not for gamedev, but I think they handle online payments as well, at least, Carry1st or a subsidiary.
Fuck it’s giving me ptsd haha. It was during the peak of COVID I got laid off and I was applying EVERYWHERE, and there was hiring freezes. I lined up a few interviews but had to do like 4 coding tests and interviews in succession. By the time Carry1st got back to me with an interview I was just drowning so turned them down. Damn, maybe in another timeline I could’ve met Herman Hulst
Anyway, you love to see it. Africa has untapped potential not just in gamedev but esports as well. This will put off in the long run. Seeing Sony make moves in China, Korea, India and Africa is really awesome
Fuck it’s giving me ptsd haha. It was during the peak of COVID I got laid off and I was applying EVERYWHERE, and there was hiring freezes. I lined up a few interviews but had to do like 4 coding tests and interviews in succession. By the time Carry1st got back to me with an interview I was just drowning so turned them down. Damn, maybe in another timeline I could’ve met Herman Hulst
Anyway, you love to see it. Africa has untapped potential not just in gamedev but esports as well. This will put off in the long run. Seeing Sony make moves in China, Korea, India and Africa is really awesome
They will need to design a special PS5 not to absorb african sand. 
Speaking of African game devs, Sony should invest in South African studio Brotherhood Games, the devs behind the Stasis titles. The original was one of the freshest modern point-n-click scifi/horror adventure titles I played at the time. Still need to play the DLC and sequel, but they're on the list.
The dev also made a game called Beautiful Desolation; it kept the isometric style of Stasis but wasn't as heavy on the sci-fi/horror aspects the Stasis games are.
They're kinda like the Martian Scorsese of gaming. If you know about his film preservation efforts across the globe, you'll get the reference
The dev also made a game called Beautiful Desolation; it kept the isometric style of Stasis but wasn't as heavy on the sci-fi/horror aspects the Stasis games are.
They're kinda like the Martian Scorsese of gaming. If you know about his film preservation efforts across the globe, you'll get the reference
Odd that in Africa folks would go for a device that's a luxury item vs something they need and can also play games.
No one wants a gaming PC. Those are the real luxury items. And most gaming already happens on mobile phones so this is about expanding the market in the most logical way.
Like in the rest of the world, the most popular gaming platform in revenue and userbase in Africa is mobile gaming.
This partnership also helps Sony in this area, they implemented a system that supports many payment systems popular in Africa that Riot or top mobile companies like Supercell use. So this partnership will help Sony to grow in mobile too.
Well, baby steps. Just like it was for China and Korea
What, you don't think everyone in Africa lives in mud huts do you? Even people in poor countries desire luxury items, when they break into middle class a PS5 might just be one of the things that they get so they feel they've "made it". Just like all the nouveau riche in China drive around in mercedes and BMW despite it still having a low per capita income.
Just because they can do it, doesn't mean they should. It's not financially sound. Those habits keep you poor on the long run.
Im sure they'll be happy to register your objection at the Federal Bureau of Conscientious Spending 