Since the launch of Temple Run in 2011, other running games like Subway Surf and Run Forrest Run have followed. Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run developed by Blueport Company and published by Playnetwork Studios first appeared on Play Store on January 13, 2022, but was officially launched on April 27, 2023.
Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run is arguably the first Nollywood-themed video game—which is no small feat. In 2021, Playnetwork Studios acquired the rights to the popular 2003 comedy titled “Aki Na Ukwa” and decided to milk it to the fullest. Firstly, the studio recreated the movie with a different story. That was followed by the game Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run game.
“Looking for an epic endless running game?” read the game’s description on Google Play Store. “Look no further than Aki & Pawpaw Epic Run! Join Aki and Pawpaw, the lovable duo, on their thrilling adventure across captivating worlds. Dodge obstacles, collect power-ups, and unlock amazing characters in this addictive mobile game!”
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To further domesticate Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run, the developers made use of obstacles that are easily relatable to any Nigerian including masquerades, Danfo buses (the famous yellow lorries mostly found in Lagos in the southwestern part of Nigeria, Okada (ride-hailing bikes), and Agberos (street urchins).
“Say hello to the first Nollywood game app,” tweeted the CEO of Playnetwork Africa, Charles Okpaleke to announce the official launch of the game.
The game featured protagonists that were supposed to be the characters from the movie (Chinedu Ikedieze as Aki and Osita Iheme as Pawpaw). After the official launch, the game enjoyed a warm reception—although it didn’t last long.
“This is a pointer to something significant in Nigeria’s creative sector: the need for a fusion of Nollywood and the gaming industry,” Adedimeji Quayyim, Film Fellow with Inside Nollywood said at that time.
What kind of game is Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run?
Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run is just like every other running game where you jump or slide through dynamic obstacles. The only difference in this case is that it was set in Nigeria and had Nollywood characters. Like every other running game, Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run offers an endless loop of fun.
While players will start as Aki and Pawpaw, they will get to unlock other characters along the way. Each character has a unique ability and playstyle which adds to the excitement of the game. The game has a leaderboard which also means that you can compete with other players all over the globe.
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On Android, the size of the game is 108 MB and will require Android 5.0 or newer to play. The size of the game on iOS is significantly larger at 186.4 MB.
Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run’s rise and fall
When Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run was officially announced, there was a surge of players who were excited about the idea. Consequently, in less than 24 hours after its launch, the game hit number 1 on the Apple App Store under the ‘Top Free Games’ category. Okpaleke celebrated the win with another tweet.
“In less than 24 hours after the official launch, we hit number 1 in the world under the free game apps category on IOS and number 8 on Play Store,” Okpaleke wrote. “The love is unbelievable!! Blessed to be a Nigerian.”
This was a great achievement considering the fact that Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run was ahead of other popular mobile games like Subway Surfers and Call of Duty: Mobile. Then, the game had a 4-star review which can be considered good. At the time of writing this post, Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run has over 100K downloads on the Play Store.
After the mad rush, the rating of the game has plunged to 3.5 stars on Android and 3.4 stars on iOS. So, why did the popularity of Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run crash to become almost extinct less than 5 months after launch? Here are our thoughts.
1. Poor UX
While the intention for making Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run was new and impressive, the delivery was far less so. The character models and world appear to be buggy, which weighed down the excitement behind the idea.
Scrolling through the reviews left behind on the app, the poor graphics featured in the different opinions of the reviewers. This is specifically a serious challenge with most of the games designed in Africa. The characters and world are usually less graphically appealing—even when the intent is good.
2. Not paying attention to the reviews
Most developers will continue to update their games and release patches upon patches, weeks and months after launch to make sure the game continues to run optimally and meet the expectations of gamers. Sadly, other developers wash their hands off that project as soon as it is published.
It appears Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run was the case of the latter. Scrolling through the game’s details, we discovered that the last time the game was updated was on October 29, 2022, that is months before it was officially launched.
While Blueportal Inc. actively engaged with some of the reviewers on the Play Store, we are yet to see any new update since April 27 when the game was launched (that’s almost 5 months of doing nothing).
3. Unsquashed bugs
Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run is also riddled with bugs. One of the bugs we encountered—and which other players have massively complained about—is the fact that sometimes your character disappears from the screen.
As if that is not bad enough, there is also a huge lag between when you press the controls and when it responds, which can be really costly. Bugs like these are supposed to be resolved quickly. However, they continue to thrive on Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run. The best that players have gotten from the developer is assurance.
4. Positive reviews were never really about the game
What we discovered was that most of the positive reviews Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run got were not really because the game was spectacular. Rather, they were supportive of the idea of having a Nollywood video game. Therefore, it didn’t take long for the positive reviews to be drowned out by the critical reviews from real players of the game.
5. Laden with ads
Game development is not cheap. For example, Grand Theft Auto 6 is estimated to cost over a billion dollars. It will be tough for any African studio to have such a budget. Therefore, developers are eager to recover any amount they spend on a game through in-game purchases and ads.
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However, a balance must be agreed upon to ensure the revenue drive doesn’t ruin the user experience. Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run seems to have crossed that delicate line. Some of the players complained about the irritating levels of ads.
Final Thoughts
We have seen a lot of games created by African developers suffer the same fate. After the initial rush in support of the idea, the game dies a natural death. If African game developers must be taken seriously on the global stage, certain cultures need to change.
It’s good to have an ambitious game project idea. However, when the resources to fund that ambitious project are not available, it is OK to start small. The goal should always be to make sure that every game project is delivered with great graphics, flawless gameplay mechanics, and constantly updated to fix bugs. Click here to download Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run.
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