Nigerian mobile hit Rasta Santa: Retribution has just won the Audience Choice Award at Africa Games Week 2025, adding to its earlier victory at Fak’ugesi 2025. The people’ve spoken, Rasta Santa’s blend of Lagos vibes, reggae energy, and action-packed platforming is resonating with players across the continent.
Read our earlier feature on the Fak’ugesi win here: Holiday action — Rasta Santa brings festive vibes & big wins at Fak’ugesi 2025
Why this matters
The Audience Choice prize is a player vote, so this isn’t just press buzz, it’s real fans voting with their voices. For Lagos-based Deluxe Creation Studios, this dual recognition (Fak’ugesi + AGW) proves local stories and local style can connect deeply with gamers, especially on mobile, where access is broad and immediate.
The company it kept, other nominees in the category
Rasta Santa took home the people’s vote in a competitive field. Other games that were in the same category at AGW include:
- Stick it to the Stickman — Free Lives
- Metavoidal — Yellow Lab Games
- Ta Jama — Gara
- Super Diski FC — ITTHYNK Gaming
- Relooted — Nyamakop
These titles span arcade action, experimental indie, and local-flavoured sports, which shows how diverse African & indie game choices have become at major festivals.
Where to play Rasta Santa (mobile)
If you want to try the game that’s been winning hearts, download it here:
- Google Play (Android): Rasta Santa Retribution here.
- Apple App Store (iPhone / iPad): Rasta Santa, by DELUXE ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS LTD here.
Deluxe Creation (the studio) has a growing catalogue of mobile titles and uses local sound, slang and street culture to give its games a distinct identity.
What this win could unlock
- More visibility across Africa: audience awards translate to press, interviews and festival invites, all useful when courting partners and sponsors.
- Stronger mobile traction: Rasta Santa’s success reinforces mobile-first development as a pathway for African studios to reach mass audiences.
- Momentum for the studio: the awards can help Deluxe secure collaborations, ad partners, and more installs, all vital for indie studios.
Final thought & call to action
Rasta Santa’s back-to-back success at Fak’ugesi and Africa Games Week shows a clear trend: African-made games that lean into local stories and strong gameplay can win players, and awards. If you haven’t tried it yet, download Rasta Santa and see why the crowd loved it.
Played Rasta Santa? Drop your favorite level, boss, or soundtrack moment below. If you haven’t, which of the other nominees above will you try first?