A groundbreaking pan-African drama series centered on competitive e-sports gaming in Cape Town and Lagos is currently in development, marking a major step forward for African storytelling in the digital entertainment space.
Titled Respawn, the nine-episode series is being produced by Sonepa Studios, a newly established Nigerian production house, in collaboration with Nile Entertainment, founded by acclaimed producer Moses Babatope, and African e-sports company GameEvo. The project aims to bridge Nigeria’s Nollywood and South Africa’s thriving film industry, fostering a new level of creative collaboration across the continent.
Created and helmed by showrunner Mayowa Adegbite, Respawn explores the fast-paced, high-stakes world of competitive gaming, blending drama, ambition, and technology with a distinctly African flair. The series promises to capture the rise of e-sports culture on the continent, reflecting Africa’s growing influence in global digital entertainment.
According to insiders, scripts for the series have already been completed, with pre-production scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2026. Producers are targeting a late 2027 release, though no streaming platforms or distribution partners have been announced yet.
With Respawn, Africa’s entertainment industry continues to demonstrate its versatility and readiness to tell modern, globally relevant stories rooted in authentic local experiences. If successful, the series could pave the way for more collaborations between Nollywood and South Africa’s film ecosystem and establish e-sports storytelling as a fresh genre in African cinema.
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