Supercell is set to partner with Carry1st, one of Africa’s leading mobile game publishers, to bring in-game purchases such as currency, battle-passes and more to Carry1st’s storefront.
The partnership means that the African market – which has a variety of local currencies and payment methods such as mobile money, e-wallets and instant bank transfer – will end up with a drastically streamlined purchasing process for Supercell’s games. With e-payments in Africa expected to surpass $40bn by 2025, and a mobile-first consumer base, this puts Supercell in a leading position to establish dominance in this growing market.
CEO of Carry1st, Cordel Robbin-Coker, stated, “This partnership is significant as it makes it easy for gamers in Africa to buy items from some of the most popular mobile games in the world in local currency and with payment methods that are available to them. It will also enable Supercell to boost revenue across its titles by tapping into a new, dynamic, and fast-growing gaming market.”
Major moves in Africa
By some indications the African gaming market is the fastest-growing gaming market globally. As part of the MENA region, North Africa also benefits from proximity to affluent countries such as Jordan and Saudi Arabia. However, low internet penetration presents a major problem, and as they are in the Middle-East, payment methods can be drastically more localised than what is seen in the Western world.
The complexity of payments is something that is much harder to manage than some might expect. Indeed, in the Chinese market the prevalence of banking apps and digital payment apps have created a soft barrier to many Western companies.
By partnering with Carry1st, Supercell will, ideally, be establishing themselves to take advantage once the market cracks wide open. By leaning on the experience of an existing publisher it means that the famously focused studio can keep its attention on it’s existing European and American business while Carry1st benefits by now offering purchases for some of the biggest titles in mobile gaming on their storefront.
