Video Games: Ethiopian Studio Behind "Rise of Fearless" Raises $1 Million for Its Battle Royale Inspired by Adwa

The Ethiopian studio behind "Rise of Fearless," a mobile battle royale game whose narrative draws from the 1896 Ethiopian victory at Adwa, announced on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, a $1 million funding round from Epic Edges Capital, an investment and advisory firm based in Mauritius, report the sites Technext and Techeconomy.

The transaction is structured as a SAFE, a deferred equity participation agreement. Until now, the studio founded by Kanessa Muluneh had developed using only its own resources. Launched in 2025 on the Apple App Store and Google Play, and free to install, the game has surpassed 15,000 downloads, with its largest player communities located in Nigeria, Ethiopia, and South Africa.

Adwa as raw material

The narrative choice is not merely decorative. Adwa, in 1896, is the battle where the Ethiopian army defeated Italian troops and preserved the country's independence, one of the most cited episodes in pan-African memory. The characters, outfits, hairstyles, and settings of the game were designed to reflect African identities, the two sites emphasize: an industry where Africa has long been a consumer market is here offered a narrative written from the continent.

The funds are intended for technical upgrades, server infrastructure, cross-border payment solutions, recruitment, and marketing. The studio has also surrounded itself with global industry professionals: Miniboss Solutions as a publishing and marketing partner, with Adam Krause (formerly of Ubisoft, 2K, and Capcom) and TJ Consunji (ex-PlayStation and Krafton); Trick Question Studios for creative direction, led by TQ Jefferson (ex-Marvel, Pixar, Disney); IDG Intelligence for market research, with its president Yoshio Osaki; and Spectra Entertainment for artistic and technical direction.

A market of 400 million players

The ambition is supported by market figures cited by the studio and reported by Technext: more than 400 million players on the continent and video game revenues reaching $1.98 billion in 2026. A windfall that, until now, has primarily benefited foreign publishers.

"This investment is crucial for our ambitions and the future of African gaming," declared Kanessa Muluneh, who says she wants to bring "a game franchise owned by Africans" to international distribution. For Remco Coerman, founder of the Epic Edges group, the title represents an "ambitious, culturally rooted" intellectual property, capable, in his view, of finding an audience well beyond its home market.

One million dollars remains modest on the scale of an industry that consumes hundreds of millions per production. But for an African studio that started from scratch, it is the transition from a game to a franchise—and the demonstration that an African narrative can be exported rather than imported.