Two leading voices at the intersection of culture, representation, and the global video game industry have announced the launch of NARRATIFY, a new consulting and events agency focused on African and diaspora game creators.
Founded by Jennifer Lufau and Mickaël Newton, NARRATIFY positions itself as a strategic bridge between African creative ecosystems and international game studios, with a mission to improve cultural accuracy in games while expanding the global visibility of African talent.
Building Infrastructure for African Game Narratives
NARRATIFY’s work is structured around two core pillars.
The first focuses on supporting African and diaspora creators by strengthening their professional visibility, credibility, and access to global markets. This includes helping studios and individual developers position their projects for publishers, investors, platforms, and international audiences.
The second pillar centres on cultural authenticity consulting. As more international studios explore African-inspired worlds, characters, and stories, NARRATIFY aims to facilitate meaningful collaboration with African developers, artists, historians, and cultural experts. The objective is to move beyond surface-level representation and ensure accuracy, consistency, and depth in how African cultures are portrayed in games.
Afro Game Showcase Announced
As part of its launch, NARRATIFY has announced the Afro Game Showcase, a new online event dedicated to video games developed by African and diaspora studios.
The showcase will feature projects for mobile, PC, and console, with a focus on games that are currently in development or have yet to receive significant international exposure. Designed for a global audience, the event is intended to connect African creators with publishers, media, investors, and platform holders worldwide.
The Afro Game Showcase is scheduled to take place in the coming weeks, with the official date yet to be announced. Applications are currently open to interested studios via an online submission form.
Founders with Deep Industry Roots
Jennifer Lufau, a French-Beninese professional, is widely known as the founder of Afrogameuses, a community dedicated to supporting francophone African and Afro-descendant women gamers and creators. Her background spans video game journalism, community building, and consultancy work with studios on issues of representation and cultural authenticity.
Mickaël Newton, of African diaspora origin from the French West Indies, brings extensive industry experience following 12 years at Ubisoft’s international headquarters. His work at Ubisoft included editorial roles alongside initiatives focused on social impact, education, and charitable programmes. In 2024, he was recognised as Personality of the Year at the Pégases, one of France’s leading video game industry awards.
Embedded in the African Games Ecosystem
Both founders have been actively involved in African and diaspora-focused gaming initiatives, participating in events and programmes such as Africa Games Week, Lagos Games Week, FEJA, NAICCON, as well as numerous game jams and competition juries.
NARRATIFY has also announced partnerships with South African studio Nyamakop and Maison des Mondes Africains (MansA) in Paris, linked to the upcoming launch of Relooted, a title that has already attracted international attention.
A Strategic Moment for African Game Development
The launch of NARRATIFY comes at a critical time for African game development. As global studios increasingly look to Africa for inspiration, talent, and new markets, the need for structured collaboration, cultural expertise, and professional pathways has become more urgent.
By combining consulting, events, and ecosystem development, NARRATIFY aims to play a long-term role in shaping how African stories are created, shared, and monetised within the global video game industry.
For African developers and creators, initiatives like the Afro Game Showcase signal growing momentum — and new opportunities to be seen, heard, and recognised on a global stage.
Esports Africa News will continue to track developments around NARRATIFY and the Afro Game Showcase as more details are announced.