African-owned gaming venture Rise of Fearless has secured $1 million from Epic Edges Capital to strengthen its operations and grow the audience for its mobile game.
Founded by Kanessa Muluneh and based in the United Arab Emirates, the venture raised the investment through a Simple Agreement for Future Equity, or SAFE. The funding will support recruitment, technology, infrastructure, marketing and community development.
Bringing African History to Mobile Gaming
Launched in 2025, Rise of Fearless is a free-to-play battle royale game that draws inspiration from African history and culture, including Ethiopia’s victory at the Battle of Adwa in 1896.
Its characters and environments reflect African identities, placing the continent’s stories at the centre of the gaming experience.
Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play, the game has recorded more than 15,000 downloads, according to the company. Nigeria, Ethiopia and South Africa represent its largest player communities.
Finding the Right Investment Partner
The investment follows an earlier fundraising target of $700,000. Muluneh told PocketGamer.biz that the company continued funding its own development while searching for an investor who understood its ambitions and respected its creative direction.
“I didn’t want to raise capital just for the sake of raising capital. I wanted the right people involved,” she said.
The new backing gives the venture resources to expand its team and improve the technology supporting the game.
Building an International Franchise With African Ownership
Rise of Fearless is also bringing in international expertise to support its next phase. Partners include Miniboss Solutions for publishing and marketing, IDG Intelligence for research and strategy, and Trick Question Studios for franchise development and creative direction.
The company says its wider ambition is to build an internationally distributed gaming franchise while retaining African ownership of its intellectual property. Its expansion plans also include developing talent and addressing infrastructure challenges affecting African game developers, including servers and cross-border payments.
