Investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas put Ghana on the global map once again as he gained international recognition for his groundbreaking project that fuses investigative reporting with gaming.
At the Floodlight Gaming Connects Investigative Reporting event in Amsterdam on September 24, 2025, Anas’s concept was declared a game-changer, hailed as the future of journalism in the digital age. The project allows audiences, especially young people, to “play through” real-life corruption and human rights cases, immersing them in the dilemmas of investigative reporting.
A jury selected five finalists from the fictionalised games submitted to the world’s first investigative journalism game jam. Four other finalists were Dark Money, by Polyvale Studios, based on reporting by hundreds of journalists in the OCCRP network for the Laundromat series, Echoes: El Salvador by Stijn Verstraete, based on reporting by Juan José Martínez d’Aubuisson.
Others were Rise of Viktor Orban by Pol Grasland-Mongrain and Dylhan ‘Zhanko’ Phong, based on reporting by Andras Petho and Cocoa Capture by Leto du Plessis, Damian Grobler, Matthew Carlton, Kairan Moorlach, and Cale Adamson, based on reporting by Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
Developed by Bernard Lis and Chris Vogel, “Hunting the Hunter” puts the player into the role of an investigative journalist who uncovers a smuggling ring.
The Floodlight Gaming jury called the game an “impressive prototype for an open world-game that delivers a great overall experience and good visuals.”
“We fight corruption with facts, but we also need to inspire the next generation to hold truth sacred. This win shows the world is ready,” Anas said after the announcement.
Floodlight Gaming was established by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), the Gabo Foundation, and Anima Interactive, with support from V-Ventures, SpielFabrique, Global Game Jam, Good Game Generation, and the International Game Developers Association.
“The winning game is based on an investigation by Anas Aremeyaw Anas from Ghana, “Hunting the Hunter: Infiltrating the Cocoa Smuggling Underworld of Ghana’s Western Border.” Anas went undercover to expose a deep-rooted network that sabotaged Ghana’s economy, deprived farmers, and threatened national security.
The victory has sparked national pride, with media and civil society leaders describing it as proof that Ghanaian innovation in journalism continues to set the pace for Africa.
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