Kiro'o Games
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersYaoundé, Cameroon
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
Kiro'o Games firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kiro'o Games
- Legal name
- Kiro'o Games
- Website
- https://kirooworld.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kiro'o Games industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile Gaming
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Social/UGC & Sandbox Game Studios (Roblox-like) (MPAFAAAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- In-Game Wallets, Stored Value & Virtual Currency Issuance (MPAFAJAB)
Keywords
Where Kiro'o Games is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Yaoundé
- HQ country
- Cameroon
- HQ region
- Africa
Markets served
Kiro'o Games business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- In-App Purchases (IAP) via Mobile Money: Hybrid monetization combining in-app purchases powered by Mobile Money payment infrastructure. Five years of market testing in Cameroon and Ivory Coast showed 4,300 successful IAP transactions from 1,600 unique mobile payers, with an average revenue per payment of $1.8. The studio emphasizes understanding local sociology and offering flexible payment methods as critical to monetizing African players.
- Rewarded video and display advertising: Advertising, particularly rewarded video ads, is cited as the most reliable revenue model for African mobile games. Founders across the African game industry consensus identifies rewarded video ads as a primary revenue driver, though reaching sustainable revenue requires significantly higher user volumes than Western markets.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Freemium base game with VIP sponsorship tiers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Kiro'o Games product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kiro'o Games is a Cameroonian video game studio that develops, publishes, and monetizes culturally authentic African-themed mobile and PC games under the Aurionverse platform. Its core commercial offerings include the Aurion franchise (African-Fantasy RPG, first African-Fantasy PC game released in 2016 and first African content on Xbox) and Elites of Mboa (political simulation mobile game with 85K+ downloads). The studio pioneered the first Mobile Money in-game payment integration for IAP transactions in Cameroon and Ivory Coast, complemented by rewarded video advertising.
Product overview
Kiro'o Games is an African video game studio founded in 2013 with over 10 years of experience, recognized for pioneering African content in the global gaming industry. The company operates primarily through its Aurionverse platform, which serves as the umbrella ecosystem for its titles. The core product portfolio includes Aurion Legacy of the Kori-Odan (the first African-Fantasy PC game released in 2016, also notable for being the first African studio to deliver content on Xbox) and Mboa (Elites of Mboa), a satirical political simulation game with over 85K downloads. The company also offers Mboa Starter, a VIP sponsorship/pre-launch program for the upcoming Mboa V2. Kiro'o Games is historically significant for pioneering the first Mobile Money in-game payment system in history, demonstrating innovation in adapting to African market payment infrastructure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Aurion: African-fantasy PC game franchise including 'Aurion Legacy of the Kori-Odan' and associated comic book series published on Amazon.
- Aurionverse
- Mboa
Products and services
- Aurion Legacy of the Kori-Odan An African-fantasy action RPG featuring African lore, characters, and fantasy world-building. Distributed as a paid PC title (and on Xbox) targeting RPG players seeking culturally African fantasy content; recognized as the first African-Fantasy PC game in the world.
- Elites of Mboa (The Mboa) A freemium political simulation mobile game parodying African socio-political life, in which players experience life as an African elite managing political careers, family relationships, and corruption scenarios in a virtual republic. Distributed free-to-play on Google Play and the Apple App Store with Mobile Money-enabled in-app purchases and rewarded video ads; 85K+ downloads recorded.
- Aurionverse The overarching game universe and world-building platform encompassing Kiro'o Games' African-themed titles, including the Aurion and Mboa franchises, designed as an interconnected African fantasy and simulation ecosystem for players and supporters.
Quantifiable outcome
- 85K+ game downloads achieved through culturally authentic African content
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Kiro'o Games
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Kiro'o Games technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Kiro'o Games partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Kiro'o Games competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Roblox Corporation: Global UGC/social gaming platform. Comparable to Kiro'o's Aurionverse vision of a connected, user-influenced African gaming universe and the social-network angle of Mboa's inter-player mechanics.
- Zynga: Major social/mobile gaming publisher. Comparable on freemium distribution via app stores and rewarded-video advertising — both cited by Kiro'o founders as relevant to African monetization.
- Supercell: Finnish mobile game studio behind Clash of Clans and Hay Day. Comparable as a benchmark for how freemium social/mobile games achieve scale — useful for sizing the upside and mechanics of Kiro'o's social-simulation model.
- Rovio Entertainment: Finnish mobile game publisher (Angry Birds) known for IP-led expansion into films, books, and merchandise. Comparable as a benchmark for IP-franchise expansion strategy Kiro'o Games pursues with Aurion (game → comics).
- Niantic: Global developer of location- and community-driven mobile games (Pokémon GO, Ingress). Comparable on mobile-first distribution via app stores and the community/social-network game mechanic Mboa borrows.
Direct peers
- Maliyo Games: Nigerian mobile-first game studio focused on Africa-relevant casual and educational games. Comparable on geography, mobile distribution, and the African emerging-market monetization thesis.
- Gamsole: Kenyan mobile game studio developing hyper-casual and Africa-relevant titles. Comparable on mobile-first product strategy and emerging-market distribution focus.
- Kuluya: Nigerian game studio behind Africa-themed mobile titles such as 'Africa Safari'. Directly comparable as a regional competitor building African cultural IP for mobile distribution.
- Leti Arts: Ghanaian game studio founded in 2009, creator of Africa's Legends and other African-themed RPG and educational titles. Directly comparable as a pioneer African studio building culturally authentic IP at similar scale and team size to Kiro'o Games.
Regional players
- Nyamakop: South African indie game studio. Comparable on the African game development context and pursuit of culturally authentic IP, though operating in a different (more established) gaming ecosystem in Southern Africa.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Kiro'o Games social profiles
Digital presenceKiro'o Games financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kiro'o Games leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Kiro'o Games funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kiro'o Games M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kiro'o Games
What does Kiro'o Games do?
Kiro'o Games is a Cameroonian video game studio that develops, publishes, and monetizes culturally authentic African-themed mobile and PC games under the Aurionverse platform. Its core commercial offerings include the Aurion franchise (African-Fantasy RPG, first African-Fantasy PC game released in 2016 and first African content on Xbox) and Elites of Mboa (political simulation mobile game with 85K+ downloads). The studio pioneered the first Mobile Money in-game payment integration for IAP transactions in Cameroon and Ivory Coast, complemented by rewarded video advertising.
Is Kiro'o Games a public or private company?
Kiro'o Games is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Kiro'o Games founded?
Kiro'o Games was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kiro'o Games based?
Kiro'o Games is headquartered in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in the Africa region.
How does Kiro'o Games make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. In-App Purchases (IAP) via Mobile Money is the primary driver. The others are rewarded video and display advertising.
Who are Kiro'o Games's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Roblox Corporation, Zynga, Supercell, Rovio Entertainment and Niantic. Direct peers are Maliyo Games, Gamsole, Kuluya and Leti Arts. Nyamakop is listed as a regional player.
Does Kiro'o Games have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kiro'o Games.
What industry is Kiro'o Games in?
Kiro'o Games's product category is Mobile Gaming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAF, Social/UGC & Sandbox Game Studios (Roblox-like), with a secondary code of MPAFAJAB, In-Game Wallets, Stored Value & Virtual Currency Issuance. Its NAICS code is 513210 and its SIC code is 7372.