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Qene Games, a game development studio founded by Ethiopian entrepreneur Dawit Abraham, has successfully sold its top-performing game, Gebeta, to Carry1st, a South African mobile gaming start-up led by Cape Town-based entrepreneur Cordel Robbin-Coker.
The successful sale of Gebeta, the award-winning mobile board game that took the title of Best App of the Year at the 2020 AppsAfrica awards, has been concluded for an undisclosed sum.
The transaction marks Qene Games’ first exit for a game and provides them with a long-term royalty, while also validating the high-quality standard of their products.
With its recent funding of $27 million, Carry1st, led by Cordel Robbin-Coker is poised to leverage its expertise to further the development and success of an African-made game, solidifying its position in the industry. The deal also builds on the strong business connections between Dawit Abraham and Cordel Robbin-Coker.
In line with the terms of the deal, Qene Games will maintain its partnership with Carry1st with a reduced role in the growth and progression of Gebeta. However, they will be responsible for publishing the game in Ethiopia, which is its original market.
Qene Games, under the leadership of Dawit Abraham, is passionate about creating games with an authentic African story, and Gebeta is already accessible on Android platforms with plans to launch an iOS version soon.
In its efforts to become a leading pan-African game studio, Qene Games has successfully launched various mobile games, including Kinet, a revolutionary platform for game monetization in Africa.
With its innovative features such as subscriptions, esports tournaments, in-app purchases, and ads, Kinet is revolutionizing the African gaming market.
Having recently sold its popular game Gebeta (also known as Mancala) to Carry1st, Qene Games is now turning its focus towards maximizing the revenue potential of its existing portfolio of games.
Under the visionary leadership of Dawit Abraham, the startup is looking to establish strategic partnerships with African tech providers in the gaming industry. This will enable Qene Games to continue growing its gaming library while providing a seamless gaming experience for its users.
