How Hardware Makers Can Power Nigeria’s Gaming Future

Nigeria’s game developers are pushing through challenges that go far beyond creativity. From access to hardware to the absence of real industry support, the sector needs more than enthusiasm to survive, writes Iyke Bede

For years, Nigeria’s game development scene has been described with one word: potential. There’s no shortage of talent or ambition. Developers are learning on the fly, experimenting, and building games from scratch with almost no support. What remains obvious is that potential cannot build a sustainable gaming ecosystem, especially one that wants to compete on a continental and global level.

Across the country, most indie studios are bootstrapped. They work from small co-working spaces or home setups, often relying on outdated systems. Even when they manage to get access to better equipment, after-sales support is a gamble. Do they risk getting a premium PC setup with almost zero warranty? Hardware fails, warranties rarely apply, and importing replacements is slow and costly.

For a sector that depends heavily on high-performance hardware, the technical dearth becomes a barrier to their creativity, and sometimes the sole factor that breaks their spirits and halts their dreams in their tracks. Progress turns tedious.

That is where companies that understand the ecosystem come in, not to dump products or chase quick sales, but to build structures that let creators grow. In a brief chat with MSI’s Country Manager for West Africa, Innocent Okorie, at the recently concluded Gamathon conference hosted by Africacomicade, he highlighted the need to bridge the gap between game developers and access to hardware, thereby accelerating progress.  

He said, “We are actively in discussions with maybe 90 per cent of the game development studios and gaming communities in Nigeria.”

When MSI began its operations in Nigeria last year, it approached the market differently. Rather than flooding stores with machines, it opened an experience centre where customers, creators, and gamers can test, learn, and understand how each component works. The company also put local after-sales support at the centre of its strategy, a response to years of frustration developers have faced with warranty claims and repairs.

Following this model, Okorie revealed that gears have been set in motion to open a training centre exclusively for game developers. This will help lower the entry level to learning and building, providing a level playing field for all, regardless of economic disparities.

“It is in the works for MSI to set up a training centre,” he said enthusiastically. “So, of course, it has to be with a local partner because we know that one of the barriers to entry is cost for Nigeria. This makes it easier for people to learn how to build games without having to invest in the hardware required to build games. You can build your games, port to mobile or to whatever platform you want to. So these are all in the plan. We are also discussing with some financial institutions. Of course, financing is a big deal in Africa, especially in the gaming sector.”

Okorie also expressed concern over the government’s approach to disbursing funds and grants to other creative sectors, such as the arts, film, television, and music, with a reduced focus on the gaming sector, which he quotes as having greater potential, drawing inferences from global markets.

“The government funds movies; they fund music. That’s what they see as a creative industry. They don’t see digital gaming or esports as potential. So all over the world today, we know that the money in gaming is ten times the money in movies in Hollywood.

“So Nigeria is going to tap into this potential. It’s only a matter of time. Now remember, there’s an esports federation in Nigeria now. It wasn’t there before. Somebody was just appointed to run that, I think about March this year, to head the esports Federation of Nigeria. So we believe that the government is waking up. And we believe that we are taking the right baby steps,” Okorie explained.

Nigeria has enough talent to change its gaming story. What it lacks is structure, a mix of policy, investment, and access. Companies like MSI can play a role in bridging that gap, but only if they see themselves as partners, not promoters. Until then, Nigerian developers will continue to build against the odds, driven by passion.

There’s no shortage of talent or ambition. Developers are learning on the fly, experimenting, and building games from scratch with almost no support. What remains obvious is that potential cannot build a sustainable gaming ecosystem, especially one that wants to compete on a continental and global level.

Across the country, most indie studios are bootstrapped. They work from small co-working spaces or home setups, often relying on outdated systems. Even when they manage to get access to better equipment, after-sales support is a gamble. Do they risk getting a premium PC setup with almost zero warranty? Hardware fails, warranties rarely apply, and importing replacements is slow and costly.

For a sector that depends heavily on high-performance hardware, the technical dearth becomes a barrier to their creativity, and sometimes the sole factor that breaks their spirits and halts their dreams in their tracks. Progress turns tedious.

That is where companies that understand the ecosystem come in, not to dump products or chase quick sales, but to build structures that let creators grow. In a brief chat with MSI’s Country Manager for West Africa, Innocent Okorie, at the recently concluded Gamathon conference hosted by Africacomicade, he highlighted the need to bridge the gap between game developers and access to hardware, thereby accelerating progress.

He said, “We are actively in discussions with maybe 90 per cent of the game development studios and gaming communities in Nigeria.”

When MSI began its operations in Nigeria last year, it approached the market differently. Rather than flooding stores with machines, it opened an experience centre where customers, creators, and gamers can test, learn, and understand how each component works. The company also put local after-sales support at the centre of its strategy, a response to years of frustration developers have faced with warranty claims and repairs.

Following this model, Okorie revealed that gears have been set in motion to open a training centre exclusively for game developers. This will help lower the entry level to learning and building, providing a level playing field for all, regardless of economic disparities.

“It is in the works for MSI to set up a training centre,” he said enthusiastically. “So, of course, it has to be with a local partner because we know that one of the barriers to entry is cost for Nigeria. This makes it easier for people to learn how to build games without having to invest in the hardware required to build games. You can build your games, port to mobile or to whatever platform you want to. So these are all in the plan. We are also discussing with some financial institutions. Of course, financing is a big deal in Africa, especially in the gaming sector.”

Okorie also expressed concern over the government’s approach to disbursing funds and grants to other creative sectors, such as the arts, film, television, and music, with a reduced focus on the gaming sector, which he quotes as having greater potential, drawing inferences from global markets.

“The government funds movies; they fund music. That’s what they see as a creative industry. They don’t see digital gaming or esports as potential. So all over the world today, we know that the money in gaming is ten times the money in movies in Hollywood.

“So Nigeria is going to tap into this potential. It’s only a matter of time. Now remember, there’s an esports federation in Nigeria now. It wasn’t there before. Somebody was just appointed to run that, I think about March this year, to head the esports Federation of Nigeria. So we believe that the government is waking up. And we believe that we are taking the right baby steps,” Okorie explained.

Nigeria has enough talent to change its gaming story. What it lacks is structure, a mix of policy, investment, and access. Companies like MSI can play a role in bridging that gap, but only if they see themselves as partners, not promoters. Until then, Nigerian developers will continue to build against the odds, driven by passion.