Sony have invested in an African gaming startup called Carry1st in a bid to expand PlayStation's reach in the region.
Africa has the fastest-growing population in the world, and the region is emerging in multiple industries. But their growing significance in the world of gaming has still gone largely unnoticed. Not by Sony, however.
While the gaming industry is seeing job losses all around the globe, Africa is one of the few regions still massively expanding, with total game sales set to reach $1 billion in 2024, according to CNBC. Sony want in on that action, and so they've just invested in an African startup as part of a wider effort to promote the PlayStation brand in Africa.
Sony Invest In Carry1st
Sony have invested an undisclosed amount into Carry1st, a video game studio based in Cape Town, South Africa. The main aim of the partnership is to help PlayStation expand into African markets, but there's also a game in development from Carry1st, although little is known about it.
As Cordel Robbin-Coker, CEO and co-founder of Carry1st, said to CNBC after the news broke:
As large companies like Sony that have really strong footholds in tier-one and tier-two markets start thinking about where the next billion customers and gamers are going to come from, our pitch is that Africa is a prime market for that.
We believe very firmly that there is an incredibly underrated console opportunity in Africa. [...] Our hope is that we can help [Sony] to expand their reach of PlayStation in the region and support them in a range of ways, including broader go-to-market strategies, as well as digital payments.
And in regard to the game Carry1st are working on, Robbin-Coker couldn't elaborate on specifics, but he said he "firmly believes" they can make a 2024 release date.
Will Xbox follow suit? Maybe Nintendo? Perhaps eventually, but Sony seem to be ahead of the curve in this regard. This is clearly a smart move from the tech giant, and we hope to hear more about the investment soon.
We'll keep our ears open during the next Sony State of Play, which is rumored to be coming in a matter of days.