Nigerian game recreating everyday Lagos life goes viral

A Nigerian browser game named Lagos Life, designed by UK-based Nigerian developer Shalom Rayhamen, has captured the attention of social media users since its release in early October. The game recreates the daily life of individuals in Lagos, allowing players to create characters, find jobs, earn and spend virtual money, pay rent, and interact with other players in real-time.

According to WeeTracker, searches for "Lagos life" on Google surged by over 5,000 percent in the week following the game's launch. Players are randomly assigned one of two starting profiles: "Nepo," inspired by the term "nepo baby," for those born into wealth and connections, or "Lapo," named after LAPO Microfinance Bank, for those starting with limited resources and relying on small loans.

Rayhamen, who drew inspiration from The Sims 3 and Lagos Run, another Nigerian browser game involving driving a danfo, reported that the game has 3,387,866 total players, with 161,676 online at the time of her X post. The game also garnered 4,495,785 visits and generated approximately $46,900 in revenue during its first four days.

These figures were self-reported and have not been independently verified. Since its launch, Rayhamen has expanded the game to include virtual cities in Abuja and Port Harcourt. In an interview with Zikoko, she expressed her plans to quit her job and work on Lagos Life and other personal projects full-time, while hinting at future expansions to other African countries, with major announcements expected in the coming weeks.

Rayhamen acknowledged the challenge of scaling the game as a sole coder but was encouraged by the growing player base to continue developing the game.