South African studio Nyamakop has received a nomination for Best in Community Empowerment at this year’s Games for Change (G4C) Festival, with the recognition going to Relooted, the studio’s Afrofuturist heist game centred on the recovery of African cultural artefacts from Western museums.

The nomination was announced by the studio on social media, with Nyamakop describing the honour as recognition alongside “so many inspiring creators pushing the boundaries of interactive media.” The G4C Festival, which takes place on 21–22 July at The Glasshouse in New York City, this year carries the theme Reimagining Play an exploration of how games can function as a force for social impact and creative change.

Relooted, which released in February 2026 on PC and Xbox Series X/S, puts players in the shoes of a rogue crew in a futuristic Johannesburg tasked with reclaiming over 70 real African artefacts from fictionalised Western museums. The game’s premise “Is it stealing to take back what was stolen?” sits at the heart of an ongoing global debate about cultural restitution and the colonial displacement of African heritage. According to UNESCO figures cited by the game’s creators, around 90 to 95 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s artistic heritage currently resides outside the continent.

The studio has been clear that while Relooted was designed to demonstrate the commercial viability of distinctly African games, its ambition always extended to tell an African-centred story capable of raising global awareness of cultural restitution efforts and the lasting impacts of colonialism. The game introduces players to specific artefacts rendered with careful research and cultural specificity, from the Benin Bronzes of Nigeria to the Maqdala Crown of Ethiopia, each embedded within gameplay mechanics that contextualise their historical significance.

The festival takes place in New York on 21 and 22 July. Winners will be announced at The Glasshouse.