GLM TEAM 
With his vision and determination, co-founder Kushal Jeethendra Sithlu is set to make Pineapple on Pizza Studios a significant player in the gaming industry. The Johannesburg-based indie and mobile game studio is dedicated to producing high quality, African influenced content, targeted towards both local and international audiences.
Pineapple on Pizza Studios was born out of Sithlu and Imraan Arenz’ dream of creating opportunities for South Africa’s talented young creatives.
“We founded Pineapple on Pizza Studios to create opportunities for our young creatives who are often driven away from the gaming industry by the lack of opportunities,” says Sithlu. “We want to uplift, and support creatives doing what they love, in a sustainable and profitable fashion that contributes to the growth and betterment of the local and international gaming industries.”
As an entrepreneur, Sithlu is not just here to play – he is determined to be successful at making games and to continuously produce new and innovative content. The studio’s notable achievements include winning Best Technical Game at the Campus Game Jam 2022, exhibiting at Comic Con Africa and Playtopia, being recognised as a Rising Star by Games Industry Africa in 2023, and earning the Fak’ugesi Rising Star Award for the game Null Factor in 2023.
Currently, the studio is developing two flagship projects: the mobile title Braai Guy, a casual hybrid game revolving around local Braai Culture, as well as Moya, a 2D narrative adventure set in a mystical post-apocalyptic African setting, and inspired by various African cultures, designs and storytelling techniques.
Through these projects, and a few other mobile games in the pipeline, Sithlu and his team hope to establish a stable revenue stream that will allow the business to expand, take on more young talent, collaborate with other upcoming companies, and broaden South Africa’s presence in the gaming industry.
Pineapple on Pizza Studios was recently selected as one of the Top 12 entrepreneur finalists selected for incubation, seed funding and an immersion into international investment networks as part of the Création Africa programme.
Sithlu’s participation in the French programme is an important step towards becoming a notable player in both the local and international gaming scenes. He emphasises its value, saying: “The entrepreneurial training at Création Africa goes beyond just the creative aspects. The programme also recognises the importance of equipping entrepreneurs with knowledge in managing finances and cultivating leadership skills, which are fundamental to grow.”
https://www.popstudiosza.com/
Création Africa is a groundbreaking initiative by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and coordinated by the Embassy of France and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), in partnership with UVU Africa and Bpifrance. It aims to boost and support entrepreneurship in the cultural and creative industries in South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi.
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