Leti Games the Accra based game development house that shot to fame after it released the first iPhone game out of Africa, iWarrior, is close to releasing the beta version of their second game.

Unlike iWarriror which tapped into an African theme which may have narrowed its scope a little, their new game uses a theme which has a huge following in Africa and the rest of the world, football (aka soccer for you Americans). This is not just a more widely appealing category of game but it taps perfectly into the football fever which is about to descend on the world with only 30 or so odd days left for the Fifa World Cup in South Africa to begin.

The new game is called LEFA Soccer-Star or LSS Soccer and looks to be ready for a beta release.

According to Leti Games;

LEFA Soccer-Star is a Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) for both mobile phones and the web. Players are confronted with the task of developing an alter-ego or avatar to be the best there is at soccer. LEFA Soccer-Star puts players in control of the training and career development of up to four avatars in a game-world modelled on the calendar, activities and dynamics of soccer in the real world.

Players develop their avatars’ physical, technical and mental abilities as soccer players, work as part of a unit to rise up the ranks and overcome the challenges the soccer world and real players across the globe throw their way and hopefully, become the best of the best.

Mascot LEFA Soccer-Star

Think Mafia Wars meets The SIMS, for Soccer. In my mind, LSS Soccer is therefore about creating a Messi, C. Ronaldo or Steven Gerrard (I am a Liverppol fan) and just like these players being faced with decisions about which team to join, negotiating a salary increase or what new hairstyle to get to boost your marketing and sponsorship appeal. It can also be about balancing work and play to keep your avatar(s) motivated or buying virtual game credits to boost their attributes. As a MMORPG I believe the possibilities are endless for what the team can do with LSS Soccer in terms of gameplay.

The Leti Games team has a Facebook Page up for the game and a comment on the page shows they will be seeking beta testers soon.

It also looks set to be released on several mobile platforms (no word on which ones yet) and as a Facebook App, which would provide a way to play the game on your phone and while on the move.

One of the most important aspects of the game will have to be how it uses people’s social graph to get them to compete against each other. Playing against people is always so much fun especially when you get to brag about ‘beating’ them. Since it there will be a Facebook App this should allow it to easily achieve these ‘social’ aspects seamlessly.

Another important element to the success of the game, especially in Africa is how easily players can buy virtual goods to enhance their avatars. Facebook Credits, PayPal and a myriad of other virtual currency and social monetization platforms exist but in Ghana (and most of Africa) the team will have to get innovative. There are options available as we will be showing all through the month of electronic payments articles but they may not be as easy to integrate as existing third party services outside of Ghana.

This looks like its going to be fun! Get your thinking caps and your soccer boots on!! All the millions of coaches in Ghana, including myself, our time to shine (or flop) is coming.

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