Edu Shola: Everybody Can’t be a Game Developer

The founder of Deluxe Creation Studios explains to the GAMING WEEK team who a game developer is in the gaming eco-system Edu Shola, Founder of Deluxe Creation Studios, Game Developer 

How did your journey in the gaming industry begin?

We started out as a media and entertainment company based in Lagos, Nigeria. We render media solutions for companies. Well, aside from that, in 2014, we figured out we needed to create our own products, games, and that’s what we’ve always wanted to do. So we created App Rush.

Was the transition from a media solution company to a game developer a smooth sail?

I wouldn’t say so because back then, it was just me. I had to learn some of those processes and add to my skill sets to achieve that milestone.

So when exactly did you discover your love for gaming?

Being a graphic designer and an animator, it has been for the love of games. I used to play games but I just had no idea it was going to be like this. I started gaming in 2014.

And your first game was in 2014?

Yes.

How was the feedback?

People were wowed to know that someone made a game because not so many people are making games. We have people making them, but not so many were republishing them. So what I did was not to just create the game but put it out there. It was on iOS and on Android, and even on some PC websites where people can download for PC.

And how many games have you developed so far?

Over 25 games.

Which is the most trending?

I don’t necessarily have trending games because when it comes to games, we can have trends and we also have games that actually have numbers but not trending. So I don’t have trending games. I might have trending content in terms of maybe videos, visuals that I make for those games that might trend. When it comes to maybe numbers of installs, I think my most downloaded game is Stickman Fight. Over 200,000 installs in Google Play Store.

What are some of the changes you have seen in the gaming industry over the years?

More people are coming into this space because they love it. Some people need to step forward. And we have companies that have been around for quite a while. They have been making games for a while and are still here. They actually took the first step and shine the lights and let people realize that you can actually do it. So we have a lot of small companies coming up, even individuals, lots of individuals coming up.

Were you also self-taught?

I would say I’m self taught in the sense that I gathered all the resources myself, which I did the majority of them on YouTube. I used to make YouTube tutorials on myself so I sought out tutorials that really helped out.

What did you study in school?

Political Science.

Was it due to pressure from your parents or you had a genuine interest in the course?

I actually loved Government as a subject in secondary school. So when I couldn’t study Mass Communication in university, which was what I really wanted, I decided to opt for Political Science.

Does your philosophy about Political Science reflect in your games?

Not necessarily, but I think in my interactions with people, because we did a lot of psychology, philosophy, and in game development, you need a lot of psychology as well.

Apart from psychology, what other skills does one need in game development?

Interaction because it’s like I’m running a business so that really helps. Also being able to negotiate as well. And being able to network.

So do you find game development a thriving business?

I don’t think any game development company in Nigeria would say they are thriving, it’s relative. It depends on how we want to look at it. So did we all have expectations? And oh, this is what I want to do. This is the particular number I want to do. Gaming in Africa as a whole is not really lucrative for a lot of people. Even the 1% that are really making money are not really making what they want to make. But some people get lucky, they get funding. I’ve also gotten funding at a point. But what we really need is for people to understand what we are doing. Most people don’t know that there are game developers in Nigeria.

That was years ago. The scenario must have changed now, right?

It’s not really changed. Most people still don’t know.

Why is that? 

Like I always tell Oscar, the founder of Africacomicade. So he runs a community of creatives in general. I always tell him, I understand game developers are like geeks and all that but we barely put ourselves out there. So we don’t really blow our trumpets like that. I started talking to a friend recently and he said he made a game, but people just make a game and leave it out there. They don’t even push it. I understand that the cost of marketing can be high but game developers also need to…especially the ones that are running it as a business, because we have game developers working for companies. They don’t need to concern themselves about marketing. But if you are running it as a business, then you need to understand that you have to market it. You can’t just put it out there and expect it to blow. It doesn’t work that way. No product will survive.

What are your thoughts on cloud gaming? Do you think it’s the future of gaming?

Yeah, I think that’s based on perspective, especially for a continent like ours, cloud…our internet is not even that good yet, even people who play eSports still have problems with the internet, proper connectivity, that does not even work. And so, when we say the future of gaming is cloud, maybe it will make gaming a lot easier for us in the future. I don’t really align with that thought, but it depends on the aspect of gaming we are talking about. If we are talking about eSports, then it’s the interconnectivity and making… you know, the internet has made the world a global village so that alone will work in that regard. 

You mentioned that you used to give tutorials on YouTube.

I haven’t done that in a while.

What kind of tutorials were they?

The tutorials I made were strictly CGI tutorials, animation, graphics design. Those are the things you needed to make in the art side of games. 

Are you impressed with the state of the industry today?

Of course not. In FinTech, for instance, they get a lot of attention now. When you hear maybe a tech company was recently funded, it’s usually a FinTech company. You hardly hear it’s a game company getting huge funding. What you get from gaming, as a business it’s, it’s limitless; in terms of income and pure net profit but people don’t know that yet. So we still have a lot of work to do, like, make people understand that this industry is huge, and it’s kind of still uncharted.

What should be the immediate action to bring this turnaround?

I think people need to step up, like not everybody should be game developers. We need evangelists who will connect us to the outside world to explore these opportunities. And we have companies trying to do that, like Africacomicade and Game Dev Nigeria. We need influencers in our space and if you don’t have influencers, that means somebody can make a game now and it can still get lost in the store. So there’s really no point to it. And people still keep getting frustrated, because once you start having success stories on games, then we would attract attention. 

QUOTE

I don’t necessarily have trending games because when it comes to games, we can have trends and we also have games that actually have numbers but not trending. So I don’t have trending games. I might have a trending content in terms of maybe videos, visuals, that I make for those games that might trend. When it comes to maybe numbers of installs, I think my most downloaded game is Stickman Fight. Over 200,000 installs in Google Play Store.