By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
MultiChoice Group has announced three tie-in games for the second season of hit show Shaka iLembe, including Match Challenge.
Season 2 has captivated audiences with its sweeping drama about the origin story of King Shaka and the rise of the Zulu nation.
Match Challenge is a casual match-three puzzle game where players match symbols like spears, drums and shields to score points and add time to the game clock.
MultiChoice said that the game became available last week, and thousands of players have logged on and spent an average of 41 minutes per session, with peak play times coinciding with primetime viewing on DStv.
“The mechanic is simple, but layered: line up three or more matching tiles, build combos, use special power-ups, and unlock new challenges. Activate gems that wipe out entire blocks. Stack points and chase top spot on the leaderboard,” MultiChoice said.
“And there’s a smart twist: as the show progresses, so does the game. Certain challenges only become available once new episodes have aired, rewarding fans who keep up to date.”
Match Challenge, along with the upcoming Warrior’s Run and Mystery Kingdom games, was developed by the DStv Rewards team in partnership with loyalty and gamification studio Red Oxygen.
Shaheed Mohamed, executive head of customer value management at MultiChoice South Africa, said the company was always looking for more ways to reward customers.
“By blending interactive entertainment with our Rewards Programme, we’re giving members and fans of the show a fun, engaging, and rewarding new ways to connect with the content they love,” he said.
“Match Challenge, Warriors Run and Mystery Kingdom represent a fun middle ground between casual gaming and the legacy and gravity of this story of a king.”
Other games available on the MyDStv app include Teen Titans Go, Crusher, Triple Hoops, Wagon Dash, and Dodge Ball.
MultiChoice’s foray into mobile games follows news last month that Netflix’s gaming arm was struggling, with the video streaming giant removing over 20 titles from its library.
These included popular and critically acclaimed titles like Hades and Braid, and came after Netflix shuttered its AAA gaming studio in October.