There is some exciting news in store for the local gaming industry. Comic Con Africa is witness to the abundance of game development in South Africa through our connection to the gaming community as we showcase their offerings at the Con. In order to be a catalyst for growth, Comic Con Africa is both supporting and teaming up with local industry leaders to not only grow independent local game developers, but to also give them an international platform. There are two exciting projects Comic Con Africa is focusing on: Project Mosi and Project Springbok.

Comic Con Africa is proud to announce Project Mosi, the budding brainchild of Mario Rizzo, a 17 year veteran of the international video game industry. Project Mosi is seismic in scope, a viable plan to establish the very first video game hub on the continent of Africa that will produce video games suitable for international export. Comic Con Africa is thrilled to be able to put our name behind this worthy project which so clearly deserves all the visibility we can offer.

Rizzo’s remarkable career in the video game industry has included work as a game designer and executive producer on some of the top franchises in the industry (such as Star Wars, FIFA, Battlefield, and Warhammer). He has held senior management roles at Sony Interactive Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Inc., and Ubisoft Entertainment.

Announcing the vision of Project Mosi, Rizzo said, “Project Mosi is an opportunity to create the first AAA video game hub on the continent of Africa to export content to the rest of the world. This would be the first studio in the world to focus on content for African consumers, designed by African game developers, in an African studio, to share top class content with the world. South Africa has unique characteristics that make it suitable for projects in software development and Comic Con Africa is ready to step up and support Project Mosi to make this a reality.”

Mario’s team includes former EA product manager and producer Gerald Tan and marketing and art director Nathan Newman MBKS, who has a diverse 15 year track record in video games, marketing and creative industry.

With the lion’s share of games being developed in the USA, Europe, and Asia, there is a perception that the gaming industry is not a viable career choice in South Africa, resulting in a lack of African representation in the international marketplace. Yet local top academic institutions like Wits and Vega offer game design and development courses, tapping into this burgeoning marketplace for qualified individuals. But we still have some way to go, and that is where Project Mosi comes in. Project Mosi is Swahili for ‘first born’ – an apt term for the trailblazing project that lies ahead.

With Mario and his team’s skill set – and their track record to back it up – Comic Con Africa sees that the idea is supported by solid experience and careful research. Comic Con Africa is looking forward to the part we can play in realizing the Project Mosi dream of creating the first AAA video game studio in Africa.

To grow local game developers in support of helping to realise Project Mosi, in 2019 Comic Con Africa is launching Project Springbok that will allow 40 local developers to showcase their current work. To be in the running for this free initiative, developers will register through our portal at http://bit.ly/CCA_ProjSpring and those that meet certain requirements will be accepted. With their games at the Con set up for demonstration, visitors will be able to vote for their favourite game. The game with the most votes will not only win the public vote but will also be funded by Comic Con Africa to get onto Steam, a digital distribution platform for games. On this platform your game will be available for purchase to a massive international audience. The terms and conditions are listed on our website.

Comic Con Africa calls all local game developers to apply for Project Springbok and to keep Project Mosi firmly on their minds. With the might of Mario Rizzo and his team, international gaming recognition is on the horizon for South Africa and we have the talent and the will to raise this first born into an indomitable adult.

About Comic Con Africa
Reed Exhibitions Africa and ReedPOP, the world’s largest producer of pop culture events, are the proud hosts of the annual Comic Con Africa. The inaugural 2018 event welcomed over 42 000 ABC audited visitors. Comic Con Africa focuses on all elements of pop culture, including cosplay, comic books, anime, manga, other creatives, film and series, games (including video and esports) and books and authors. The festival also features a large range of pop culture and entertainment elements in animation, toys, gadgets, clothing, collectible card games, video games, webcomics, and fantasy novels and the ever-popular Artists’ Alley. In 2019 KidsCon is joining Comic Con Africa, the most fun a kid can have in one hall and a perfect family day out with loads of activities to enjoy. A single Comic Con Africa ticket gets you access to both Cons at Gallagher Convention Centre on 21 – 24 September 2019. Comic Con Africa 2019 is the must-attend pop culture festival of the year. (www.comicconafrica.co.za)

About ReedPOP
ReedPOP is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions – the world’s leading events organizer. Launched in 2006, the group has become the number one producer of pop culture events across the globe as well as a full service digital content provider and media company. Delivering once-in-a-lifetime fan experiences curated specifically for localized audiences, ReedPOP currently features events in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, India, Africa and Australia, including: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), PAX West, East, South and Australia, Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC), MCM Comic Con, BookCon, Oz Comic Con, Eurogamer Expo (EGX), Comic Con India, Comic Con Paris, Comic Con Seoul, Comic Con Africa, Star Wars Celebration, and ComplexCon. In addition to organizing and managing events, ReedPOP also runs and operates the Gamer Network and its portfolio of leading gaming websites including Eurogamer, Rock Paper Shotgun and GamesIndustry.Biz. The staff at ReedPOP are a fan-based, globally focused group of professionals that are uniquely qualified to build and serve the communities with whom they share a common passion. (www.reedpop.com)