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Semblance Makes History As First Nintendo Game Released by an African Studio

This is an incredible moment in gaming and we can't wait to see what Nyamakop does next.

July 26, 2018 2:35 PM

Semblance is an intriguing platformer where players deform the terrain to progress and it earned a nine out of ten in our review, with EIC Asif Khan declaring it "Dat Good Good". Beyond getting one of our highest scores of 2018, the platformer created by Nyamakop and published by Good Shepherd Entertainment has also made history in the gaming industry. Semblance is the first game on a Nintendo console, ever, from an African studio.

Semblance wasn't originally planned for Nintendo Switch, Engadget reports, but Nyamakop designer Ben Myers and programmer Cukia "Sugar" Kimani felt it'd be the perfect home when the Switch was revealed back in October 2016. Getting Nintendo's attention was another beast entirely.

"You don't have reps that live in your country," Myres told Engadget. "The press that matter are all here. There isn't a big enough market locally to sell to, so you have to make works to sell to the West, which means you have to go to Western shows and you have to meet Western press. So basically, if you're not traveling a ton, you're not going to be able to make it."

Kimani also spoke with one of South Africa's 24-hour news networks about the game:

Local creators of a video game are celebrating this week. Their game, called Semblance, started off as a university art project. Now, it's about to be released on Nintendo. One of the founders of Semblance, @cukiakimani, spoke to @ShahanR on #NewsHour on #eNCA pic.twitter.com/K7sv5esK54
— eNCA (@eNCA) July 26, 2018

Semblance is available now on Nintendo Switch and PC for $9.99 and it well worth your attention if you're a fan of platformers. Stay tuned to Shacknews for more gaming and tech news.

Charles Singletary Jr

News Editor

Charles Singletary Jr keeps the updates flowing as the News Editor, breaking stories while investigating the biggest topics in gaming and technology. He's pretty active on Twitter, so feel free to reach out to him @The_CSJR. Got a hot tip? Email him at Charles.Singletary@Shacknews.com.

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