Rise of Fearless, an African-owned mobile gaming company inspired by African history and culture, has raised $1 million from Mauritius-based investment and advisory firm Epic Edges Capital to expand its development capabilities and pursue international markets.

The investment, structured as a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE), will fund talent acquisition, technology, infrastructure, marketing and community development. It will also support the recruitment of experienced international developers and gaming executives.

Launched in 2025, Rise of Fearless is a battle royale mobile game inspired by Ethiopia’s 1896 victory at the Battle of Adwa. Its characters, environments and visual design draw on African identities and cultural heritage, offering an alternative to the Western-centric narratives prevalent in mainstream gaming.

The free-to-play game, available on Apple’s App Store and Google Play, has surpassed 15,000 downloads, with its largest player communities in Nigeria, Ethiopia and South Africa.

Founder Kanessa Muluneh said the investment would help transform the game into an internationally distributed gaming franchise while maintaining African creative and commercial ownership.

“We couldn’t be more excited about our new team taking an African-owned gaming franchise to international distribution and commercial scale,” Muluneh said.

The expanded team brings together executives with experience across international gaming and entertainment companies. Miniboss Solutions will provide publishing and marketing expertise through Adam Krause, formerly of Ubisoft, 2K/Take-Two and Capcom, and TJ Consunji, whose experience includes PlayStation and Krafton.

IDG Intelligence CEO Yoshio Osaki will provide market research and strategic advisory expertise, while Trick Question Studios founder TQ Jefferson will lead franchise development and creative direction. Spectra Entertainment will contribute full-stack game development capabilities.

Muluneh said the company’s ambitions extend beyond downloads to building a broader African gaming ecosystem focused on intellectual property ownership and talent development. The investment will also help address infrastructure challenges, including reliable gaming servers, technology and cross-border payment systems.

Epic Edges Group founder Remco Coerman said Rise of Fearless demonstrated the potential of culturally rooted African intellectual property to reach international audiences.

The investment comes as Africa’s gaming industry expands, with more than 400 million gamers and projected gaming revenue of $1.98 billion in 2026. Mobile gaming accounts for the majority of activity, reflecting growing smartphone adoption across the continent.

For Rise of Fearless, the next phase will involve expanding its player base, strengthening its development capabilities and establishing an internationally competitive African-owned gaming franchise.