GameUp Africa Podcast
Season 1
GameUp Africa Podcast: 005 - Tade Ajiboye
GameUp Africa Podcast: 004 - Joanna Oluoch
GameUp Africa Podcast: 003 - Jennifer Lufau
GameUp Africa Podcast: 002 - Dean Gichukie
by Maliyo Games
We sit down with Tade Ajiboye, founder of Gazuntype and one of Nigeria's pioneering indie game developers, whose journey has been anything but conventional. Many first discovered Tade through Water Bubbles, a game that transformed a nostalgic childhood toy into a mobile experience. Today, he's launching Go North, a thoughtful "cozy calamity" that trades fast-paced action for reflection, atmosphere, and quiet storytelling. In this episode, we talk about building games in Africa long before there was a thriving ecosystem, what it really means to create an "African game," the realities of developing for Steam and consoles as a solo developer, and why community, patience, and persistence matter just as much as technical skill. This is a conversation about creativity, resilience, and having the courage to build games that stay true to your vision, even when they challenge expectations. Tap in, listen, and let us know what resonated with you. #GameUpAfricaPodcast #GameUpAfrica #AfricanGaming #GameDevelopment #IndieGames #IndieDev #GameDev #Steam #Xbox #AfricanCreators #GamingIndustry #AfricanInnovation #Storytelling #TechInAfrica #GoNorth
In this episode, we sit down with Joanna Oluoch, Game Developer and Founder of Sike Studio whose journey into games began in an unexpected place: Mechatronics Engineering! After teaching herself programming and balancing a semiconductor engineering internship with a game development bootcamp, Joanna made the leap into the games industry and has since become the Creative Director behind ARGO, an augmented reality experience inspired by Kenya's Oloolua Forest. We talk about career pivots, building games as love letters to cultural experiences, the opportunities and challenges of developing in Africa, and why emerging technologies like AR can create entirely new ways to tell stories. From GameUp Africa Bootcamp to Tiny Baby Crown Studios to international residencies and exhibitions, Joanna shares her experiences navigating the industry, finding community, and building games that are unapologetically rooted in her own unique life experiences. This is a conversation about creativity, resilience, technology, and the future of African game development. Tap in, listen, and tell us what resonated with you, we can't wait to hear from you! #GameUpAfricaPodcast #GameUpAfrica #AfricanGaming #GameDevelopment #IndieGames #AugmentedReality #ARGO #WomenInGaming #MaliyoGames
What happens when generations grow up playing games where nobody looks like them, sounds like them, or shares their experiences? On this episode, we sit down with Jennifer Lufau, Cofounder of Narratify and Afrogameuses, a leading voice on representation and inclusion in gaming. We unpack misogynoir in gaming spaces, authentic African representation, performative diversity, online harassment, and the responsibility publishing platforms have in protecting both developers and gamers from community harrasssment. It’s thoughtful, honest, and might change the way you think about who gaming is built for. Tap in, listen, and share the conversation with someone! Interested in Sponsoring the GameUp Africa Podcast? Get in touch with us - info@maliyo.com #GameUpAfricaPodcast #GameUpAfrica #AfricanGaming #GamingIndustry #WomenInGaming #RepresentationMatters #DiversityInGaming #BlackWomenInGaming #GamingCulture #AfricanCreators #InclusionInGaming #Podcast
In this episode, we sit down with Dean Gichukie, a 3x founder, operator, and builder who scaled fintech ventures to $15M+ in transaction value and 40 million data profiles… then made an unexpected pivot into game development to build Hiru. Why walk away from scale to start again? Dean unpacks the leap and what it really takes to build at scale in Africa. We talk about culture illustration in games, the push beyond mobile into PC and console, and what sustainability actually looks like for studios on the continent. This is a conversation about vision, timing, and betting on Africa. Tap in, listen and share your thoughts 🎙️
This episode features Sithe Ncube, Producer at Nyamakop We talk about getting into the industry, building talent, breaking barriers, and what it really takes to build sustainable games beyond passion projects From co-founding Ubongo Game Lab, to creating Games Plus Girls, to documenting African women in games (yes, 1,000 of them), to producing Relooted at Nyamakop, she’s not new to this. The conversation is thoughtful. It’s honest. It’s the kind of conversation you don’t usually get to hear. Listen, share your thoughts and join us to build Africa's first gaming archive!