Kayfo Games: Web gaming “has been a game changer”

Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan returns on November 9th and 10th, 2024, 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 Kayfo Games’ founder and CEO Julien Herbin alongside COO and lead developer Thierno Ndiaye to discuss the company’s focus on web-based games, navigating the funding landscape, and opportunities in Edtech.

PocketGamer.biz: Can you tell us a bit about Kayfo Games and what you’re up to right now?

Julien Herbin: Having spent 17 years in the games industry, I founded Kayfo in 2019 in Senegal to pioneer the West African gaming scene.

Our studio specialises in creating casual mobile games and educational games that resonate with African markets, helping to bring more culturally relevant content to players across the continent.

Currently, our main focus is on Kayfo Play, a web-based instant games platform tailored specifically for African players. We’re developing a growing library of HTML5 games for the platform, designed to run seamlessly on low-end devices.

In addition, we’re partnering with other studios to distribute their games on Kayfo Play, and we’re expanding our reach by making our own games available through their platforms.

How many staff do you currently employ, and what are you doing to foster collaboration and recruit local talents?

Thierno Ndiaye: We’re a small, hardworking, and dynamic team of 10 people, with many members having been with us since the studio’s early days.

Over the years, we’ve developed a diverse range of mobile games and actively collaborate with other studios from the Pan Africa Gaming Group (PAGG) across the continent. This collaboration helps us share expertise and resources while strengthening our ties with the broader African gaming ecosystem.

We are co-leading the Game Hub Senegal project alongside Masseka Games, with support from key partners like DER F/J and the French Embassy in Senegal. This programme is designed to train and mentor young developers, giving them hands-on experience on real projects.

This initiative contributes to the development of young talent, giving them the opportunity to work with us on various projects and eventually join our studio at the end of their training.

Your games are localised for the African market. What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in the localisation process?

Ndiaye: Since the vast majority of our team members were born and raised in west Africa, we’ve always been able to create games that resonate with African players. In terms of localisation, content creation has never been a problem for us.

Of course, there’s the technical challenge of creating lightweight games optimised for the low-end smartphones commonly used in our region. But it’s something to which we’ve become accustomed, and to which we’re much more attentive than we used to be.

Our real problem with localisation has always been the lack of distribution channels adapted to the reality of our players, i.e. offering local content and allowing players to pay using local payment methods (e.g. mobile money).

Talk to us about your participation in Supercell’s Games First initiative in Helsinki. How does it feel to be part of the delegate studios?

Herbin: We’re delighted to be part of Supercell’s Games First initiative, alongside so many other talented African studios. Being included in this event is a tremendous recognition of the work we’ve been doing in West Africa.

It’s a unique opportunity to not only showcase our games but also highlight the immense potential of African markets. We’re excited to share our insights, build connections, and encourage more international collaborations that can help elevate the African gaming ecosystem to the global stage.

What potential do you see in EdTech for Africa’s future? And does Kayfo Games have any ongoing or planned projects related to EdTech?

Ndiaye: There’s a huge opportunity for EdTech in Africa, given the continent’s youthful population and growing internet connectivity. It offers a more engaging and enjoyable learning experience while providing cost-effective training for jobs that typically require expensive equipment.

This approach might reduce costs and increase access to specialised education, helping to prepare the youth for future careers. At Kayfo Games, we recognise the importance of EdTech and we have a dedicated team collaborating with PAGG Studios to create impactful games. 

For instance, we partnered with Usiku Games to produce the Electric Blue: Geck Dash mobile game, with the aim of raising awareness about the endangered electric blue gecko species. 

The game recently passed 500,000 downloads on Google Play alon. We have more educational games in development, all set for release between Q4 2024 and Q2 2025.

You’ve developed mobile games and web-based titles. How do you decide which platform to target for a new game? And how have your games been received internationally outside the African region?

Herbin: Since our core audience is on mobile, we always design our games with a mobile-first approach. However, over the years, we realised that native distribution platforms were too restrictive for our needs.

Even larger Western studios face challenges with unpredictable policy changes, lengthy approval processes, mandatory SDK updates, and limited monetisation options. For us, the effort required to produce and maintain native games simply wasn’t worth it.

As mobile browsers and web-based game engines have evolved, we’ve increasingly shifted towards web games. This move has been a game-changer, offering us more flexibility, reach, and monetisation opportunities. We’re finding more doors opening up with this approach.

Globally, our games have been well-received, especially since there’s a scarcity of visible African games. Players outside the continent seem to enjoy discovering African cultures and stories through our games, which has been incredibly rewarding for us as creators.

Africa has a vast number of mobile users. What do you think is the key to tapping into this audience? And why do you think some still overlook the market despite its growth potential?

Ndiaye: Companies and investors from outside Africa often rely on data from traditional distribution channels, which can appear unpromising due to limited visibility and payment systems that don’t suit the African games market. 

However, new platforms are emerging to tackle these challenges by focusing on local content and payment solutions designed specifically for African consumers. This shift gives us the chance to achieve much better engagement metrics and connect directly with our audience.

To tap into Africa’s vast mobile user base, a key approach is to collaborate with telcos and existing platforms like VOD and music streaming services.

Not only does this increase the visibility of our games, but it also dramatically increases the retention of such services. With these kinds of partnerships, we’re already getting hundreds of thousands of MAUs across PAGG studios. And it’ll soon turn into millions of monthly players.

What do you see as the current opportunities and challenges facing the games industry in Senegal and the wider African region?

Ndiaye: Distribution and monetisation challenges aside, there is also a lack of support from governments. While there’s some recognition of the potential within the games sector, strong support and infrastructure are still missing. Another key issue is that there aren’t many universities or schools offering game development programs, which makes it hard to develop local talent.

Our response to that is the Game Hub Senegal, after just one year of operation, we’re already seeing young talents emerging from the hub!

However, despite these challenges, there are many opportunities ahead. One exciting aspect is the high demand for local content. The population is becoming more interested in video games, creating a strong market for games that reflect their culture and experiences. This offers a great chance for developers to create fun and relevant content. 

Lastly, it’s important to note that African start-ups are known for solving local problems. In the games industry, this means we can discover innovative ways to distribute games that perfectly fits the needs of local players. By understanding their preferences and realities, we can create the best solutions for them to enjoy our games.

Let’s talk about funding and support for game studios in Africa. What has been your experience navigating the funding landscape? And how do you think the African Games market could attract more investment?

Herbin: Accessing funding is definitely a big challenge for West African studios as investors probably don’t see the opportunity just yet. However, it’s important to support the game development ecosystem now rather than later.

At a small scale we’re already creating jobs, value and social impact. We’re already a profitable business, and we can only grow!

Fortunately, we have found some great support from some public institutions in our quest to raise the industry in our region. For instance, the French Embassy in Senegal has fully supported the launch of the Game Hub Senegal financially, and they’re still being very supportive. It simply wouldn’t be possible without their support.

More recently, we’ve also been selected to participate in the Afrique Créative program (funded by Agence Française de Développement), which is a one year mentorship program that comes with substantial financial support.

In order to attract private investments, I think that African games companies need to develop the distribution channels: making games easily accessible through local platforms, mobile money payments, and partnerships with telecoms will drive adoption.

Investors want to see clear pathways to monetisation and scalability, and Africa’s unique payment methods offer new opportunities to create sustainable revenue models.

What are your plans for the coming year? Will you be exploring new platforms? And are there any specific initiatives or projects on the horizon that we should look forward to?

Herbin: For the rest of 2024 and into 2025, our top priority is expanding Kayfo Play, our instant games platform.

The service is already live in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, and we plan to gradually roll it out across more African countries. We’ll be adding more of our own games as well as partnering with other African studios and beyond, creating a diverse and exciting catalogue. 

Owning our distribution platform gives us the freedom to experiment with different business models, which is incredibly empowering. Our focus will remain firmly on mobile web games.

We’re continually exploring new distribution channels, and I’m excited to share that we’re about to launch our first mobile web game on a globally popular platform. This is an exciting time for us, and we’re eager to see how these initiatives will shape the future of games across the continent.