Africans gaming enthusiasts can now celebrate as they gain the ability to earn and transact Bitcoin while enjoying beloved titles like Counter-Strike. Zebedee, a fintech and payments processor specializing in the gaming sector, has teamed up with Bitnob, a leading crypto exchange platform, to introduce seamless payment and gaming reward options across Africa via the Bitcoin Lightning Network (LN).
The collaboration between Zebedee and Bitnob marks a significant partnership for Africa’s gaming community. Notably, this alliance empowers users in Africa to earn Bitcoin through various Zebedee-powered apps and games. Zebedee’s innovative platform serves as a second layer within games, allowing developers to replace traditional in-game rewards with satoshis, the smallest unit of Bitcoin. Through Bitnob’s integration, gamers can easily convert these satoshis into local currencies like the Nigerian Naira.
Ben Cousens, Zebedee’s Chief Strategy Officer, revealed that the partnership stemmed from game developers’ vision of Bitcoin as the ultimate reward for tournaments and gaming incentives. “If I’m Activision Blizzard or EA Games and I have 30 million players of my games in Africa, and I run tournaments or giveaways, I cannot pay those players on fiat rails — it is too expensive,” he explained. “This is about the $180 billion video games market, not play-and-earn or crypto gaming.”
The Bitcoin Lightning Network is revolutionizing transactions in Africa, particularly with its ability to facilitate microtransactions. Nourou, founder of Bitcoin Senegal, emphasized that “microtransactions are our economic reality,” driving African builders and developers to embrace the LN. Africa’s youthful demographics and digitally savvy population make it an ideal market for such innovative technologies. Cousens noted, “We’ve seen consistent evidence of high demand for our platform across the African continent, where the purchasing power of Bitcoin is considerably higher than markets like the U.S. and Europe.”
The convergence of gaming and cryptocurrency through the Bitcoin Lightning Network promises to reshape Africa’s gaming landscape, offering players a fun, creative, and lucrative gaming experience. The partnership between Zebedee and Bitnob holds great promise for African gamers, unlocking a realm of rewards and opportunities.
