Africa’s largest publisher, Carry1st, has announced a new partnership with Indian esports and gaming league Mobile Premier League (MPL) on the continent, taking the role of the league’s official licensor and publisher in Africa.
MPL has already proven successful in multiple territories, with a strong presence in Asia, North America, and Europe, allowing players to take part in skill-based gaming contests. Although Africa has historically been overlooked by the games space, the continent – particularly Northern Africa, which forms a part of the key MENA market – has been seeing significant growth over the past several years, with mobile leading the way thanks to its accessibility and the rise in market penetration.
“We’ve been impressed with MPL for years and are thrilled to expand the company’s reach to Africa,” said Carry1st co-founder and CEO Lucy Hoffman. “With over 60 games to play and a sophisticated liveops platform, we believe MPL provides one of the best products we’ve evaluated for our market. We’re excited to activate our growing community around this new endeavour.”
The rise of esports in Africa
Carry1st is partnering with MPL to optimise its service for Africa’s many markets, beginning in Nigeria. As part of this rollout, MPL has integrated Carry1st’s monetisation-as-a-service platform Pay1st, providing over 120 local payment methods for in-game purchases across markets in Africa.
“We are incredibly excited to bring MPL to various African markets through our partnership with Carry1st,” said MPL co-founder and CEO Sai Srinivas. “As our first market, Nigeria’s thriving gaming community and its position as the largest economy in Africa make it the perfect market for us to expand into. We are confident that gamers in this market will embrace MPL and its growing collection of games, and we look forward to providing them with an unforgettable gaming experience.”
In January, Carry1st received a $27 million investment in a funding round led by Bitkraft Ventures.
