Nigeria Heads To Gamescom 2026, Germany, As Maliyo Games Confirms Participation

For years, Nigerians have been enthusiastic consumers of video games. Now, the country wants a bigger place on the other side of the screen. Nigeria is heading to gamescom 2026, one of the world’s biggest gaming events, taking place in Cologne, Germany, from today, August 26–30.

Among those making the trip is Nigerian game studio Maliyo Games, part of a growing ecosystem trying to prove that African developers can create games, characters and stories capable of travelling beyond the continent.

The timing is significant. Nigeria’s gaming community has been gathering momentum, with Lagos Games Week recently bringing developers, investors and industry players together to discuss how the country can turn its young, digitally savvy population into a serious games economy.

The challenge remains money. Nigerian developers have talent, but studios still struggle with investment, distribution and the cost of building globally competitive games.

That is why appearing at gamescom matters. It puts Nigerian creators in the same space as international publishers, investors and developers—and gives locally made games a chance to be seen by the world.

Nigeria has played the world’s games for decades. Perhaps it is time the world started playing ours.

The broader Nigerian industry has recently been calling for more investment and collaboration to turn creative talent into commercially successful studios.