Suponic Global, an American gaming company and DopeApps, a local startup, have entered partnership to promote Rwanda’s gaming industry, the two companies said in a joint statement. The partnership between the two companies seeks to develop a strong and profitable gaming industry in Rwanda and beyond, according to the statement. AC Green, American retired professional basketball player and the Chief Executive of Suponic Global said the firm will provide a blockchain infrastructure to support the growing demand of video games in the region. “We are bringing one of the safest and very, secured blockchain empowered technology on the planet,” he said in a statement. “We’ve always wanted to enter the African market especially East Africa and now it is possible with DopeApps.” The partnership will initially focus on developing Suponic Global cryptocurrency in the form of games credit called Suponic Game Credit (SGC), which is being used in more than 300 video games. “We closed the (partnership) deal a month ago, and we are about to finalise the paperwork once our partners are able to travel to Rwanda. This is an exciting time for the local gaming industry,” Robert Mugisha, DopeApps founder, told Doing Business. DopeApps is one of the winners of the 2019 iAccelerator Award organized by Imbuto Foundation. The firm is working on a gamification platform in form of a 3D endless runner game to educate players, mostly teens about Adolescent Sexual Reproductive health issues. Mugisha highlighted that they plan to finish the development of “Keza Game” by the end of this year before they could monetize it a year later. DopeApps has in the past collaborated with Goethe Institut to develop ILAGIK, a web based and mobile game. It revolves around Ruganzu, an exiled prince who’s striving to revive ILAGIK, his home kingdom that endured a total invasion of the KASHA raiders led by KIGWE, the Mindset Monster. Rwanda’s gaming industry, though nascent, has been growing over the past few years. There is currently a community of more than 250 gamers and up to 50 developers, who design and develop mobile, web and video PC games, Mugisha asserts. According to Mordor Intelligence, the global gaming market was valued at $151.55 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach a value of $256.97 billion by 2025, registering a compound annual growth rate of 9.17 per cent over the forecast period (2020 – 2025). Game developers across emerging economies are continually striving to enhance gamer’s experience, launching, and rewriting codes for diverse consoles/platforms, such as PlayStation, Xbox, and Windows PC.
