What makes bringing people together so special is that you never really know what’ll come of it. One person connects with another, ideas spark, and before you know it, something incredible takes shape and that’s exactly what happens this year at the Goethe-Institut Nigeria.
At the Echoes Game Jam, it wasn’t just about competition, it was about connection. Developers, story tellers, digital creators and so many talented people came together to share experiences, explore cultural roots, and challenge themselves creatively. The standout moments came from three different teams, each creating a project that told a unique story drawn from Nigeria’s rich history.
Remarkably, all three winning teams had Ethiopian representation, two of those participants, Joshua and Yenesew, are currently in Lagos representing their teams and presenting their finalized materials. You’ll learn more about these three teams and their powerful, history-inspired games in the sections below.
Oliyad Tesfaye | Dream Team
When he first heard about the Echoes Game Jam, he wasn’t sure what to expect, said Oliyad Tesfaye, an XR developer and one of the five members of the Dream Team. But he knew one thing. He wanted to build something that felt meaningful. Something rooted in cultural. That’s exactly what his team set out to do. Their game is a mixed reality experience guided by a character named Adey, who leads players through stories, symbols, and puzzles drawn from Nigerian history.
But getting there wasn’t easy. “Our team came from totally different backgrounds”, Oliyad explained. They had someone with a strong art direction, storytelling, voice acting, and someone with coding strengths. It was a mix that worked because everyone brought something different to the table.
Each team member wore more than one hat. For Oliyad, that meant leading the XR side of development while also jumping into design and voice work when needed. They were a tight team, but thing’s got really challenging when Mariam, their storyteller, got sick just before the jam. That was a tough moment. They pushed through, relying on each other’s strengths, staying up late to polish scenes, test mechanics, and bring Adey world to life. “It wasn’t perfect”, Oliyad admitted, “but it was real. We built something that felt personal to all of us”. Their hared work paid off.
Dream Team was announced as one of the winners of the jam. When they heard their team name, it was surreal. They were proud not just because they won, but because they did it as a group of people who didn’t know each other that well at the start. They learned, adapted, and created together. Now, with Lagos Game Week. He is excited about what’s coming. They meet industry mentors, get feedback, and grow this project even further. There’s so much talent here so many stories to tell. And this is just the beginning.
Joshua Tadesse | Digi- Negus
Joshua Tadesse, an Ethiopian game designer and developer, joined the Echoes Game Jam as part of Digi Negus, a five person team made up of creatives from three different countries. Their project centered around Queen Idia of Benin, a powerful historical figure whose story they believed deserved a fresh, engaging platform, an interactive game.
Joshua focused on game design and development, helping shape the game and flow of the experience. The team had just two weeks to bring the concept to life. That meant long day and night of designing, coding, and collaborating across time zones. They didn’t have the luxury of trial and error. Every decision, visual style, user experience, sound, pacing had to serve the story and be technically feasible within their tight deadline.
The result was a game that blends gameplay with history, inviting players to explore the legacy of Queen Idia.
Queen Idia stands as a powerful symbol of strength and leadership for women across the globe. Her legacy is rooted in the courage and intelligence she showed both on and off the battlefield. She was not only a skilled military strategist, but a determined leader who fought bravely to reclaim control of her kingdom during a difficult fight for power. Through her persistence and clear vision, she succeeded in restoring authority and bringing stability back to her people.
The project was selected as one of the winning entries, a recognition that surprised and humbled the team. Digi Negus has showcased the game at Lagos Game Week, where they hope to refine the concept further and build connections in the broader African gaming industry.
Yenesew Tadesse | Wubet
Yenesew Tadesse, founder of Wubet Studio and on this project the creative director. The Echoes Game Jam wasn’t just an opportunity to make a game it was a chance to reimagine how we engage with the past. His team chose to build their game around the Lagos museum itself and the stories hidden inside it. Instead of focusing on a single monument, they looked at the bigger picture: how do we make the legends, artifacts, and cultural memory within museum walls feel alive again.
The result was an interactive experience that players explore virtual exhibits inspired by real objects and oral histories from the museum. Players don’t just walk through the space, they get to rebuild monuments, unlock stories, and piece together forgotten fragments of history.
The project came together through a team of five, all located in Ethiopian except one, each bringing something essential. One teammate from Nigeria had a background in animation and marketing and played a major role in shaping the visual tone of the game. Others handled design, programming, and story structure. The tech challenges were real building interactive, layered environments on a tight schedule but the team kept things moving through steady collaboration.
For Yenesew, the takeaway is simply technology can open doors, but stories give the journey purpose. People think making a game is about knowing the right software, he said. But the software is just a tool. The heart of it is knowing what story you’re trying to tell and why it matters.
Wubet showcased their game at Lagos Game Week, where Yenesew has conversations about how African stories, especially those tucked away in museums, can be reimagined through interactive media.
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