Relooted: More Than a Game—it’s Cultural Reclamation

In June 2025, South African game studio Nyamakop unveiled Relooted at the Summer Game Fest—an Afrofuturistic heist adventure empowering players to recover real African artifacts taken during colonial times. In the game’s narrative, an international “Transatlantic Returns Treaty” promised repatriation—but institutional evasion leaves heritage in limbo. Players assume the role of vigilante thieves who infiltrate Western museums to retrieve and return 70 actual artifacts to their rightful homes.

Gameplay Rooted in Real Issues

Relooted employs stealth, strategic puzzle-solving, and fluid movement—vaulting, wall-jumping, grappling—to navigate museum levels undetected. The gameplay emphasizes escape and precision over violence and reflects themes of resistance and restitution.

A Cultural Statement

Producer Sithe Ncube highlights a stark statistic: 90% of sub-Saharan African heritage is held in Western collections, prompting a fictional treaty in the game setting—only to challenge its loopholes by creative direct action. This concept serves both as a critique of colonial legacies and a conceptual exploration of repatriation justice.

The game reframes repatriation as an act of agency, imagination, and hope—encouraging players to reckon with contested heritage. Rather than passive representation, Relooted turns restitution into interactive narrative, illustrating the urgency of cultural justice. Through its Afrofuturistic lens, the game creates a space where stolen objects are actively reclaimed and histories rebalanced.

 Sources

• ARTnews – “Relooted” Reimagines Repatriation Through Gaming

• PC Gamer – Hands-on with Relooted at Day of the Devs

• Instagram: @nyamakop – Official Announcement

• Prazzle Inc – Developer Interview and Concept Notes

• The Independent – Cultural Impact Commentary