rAge 2025 Review: A Bold Experiment at Fourways Mall | Sink or Swim
The rAge Expo remains one of South Africa’s most recognised gaming and tech events. TechSceneZA has attended rAge multiple times over the years, and this year marked our fourth in-person rAge event and sixth virtual engagement. With rAge’s move from the Gallagher Convention Centre, then the Johannesburg Expo Centre, and now to Fourways Mall, expectations were mixed and comparisons to Comic Con Africa were inevitable.
The Fourways Mall location raised questions. Some arguments for the move made sense, while others did not. Preshaan from TechSceneZA had early access to meet with the organisers of rAge and Fourways Mall management, where concerns were addressed and discussions took place in the buildup to the event.
First Impressions and Venue Transformation
In honesty, rAge 2025 was not the strongest showing in the event’s history. Without sugar coating it, the event felt subpar compared to previous years, though this was expected when experimenting with a format that had never been attempted before.
To understand the scale of the challenge, rAge was hosted on the 8th level of Fourways Mall, a concrete parking structure with metal roof sheeting. However, once attendees entered the event, the environment felt surprisingly different. With the buildup of the event, once walking through the entrance way, you wouldn’t believe you were in a parking lot. The organisers deserve credit for the transformation of the space. Organizers did a brilliant job carpeting the floor, building stands to break away from the parking lot, and casting the illusion of the rage exhibition event. While some creators voiced concerns about the direction of rAge and its setup, being on the floor told another story. Being there physically, you escaped the parking lot and were really at an expo.
Logistical Issues and Shortcomings
Despite the visual success, several logistical issues affected the overall experience. Friday, in particular, highlighted problems with temperature control, as the venue became extremely hot. While air conditioning units were present, they were insufficient, and additional cooling that had been promised did not fully materialise.
“There were some promises made prior to the event by the venue that the vents were going to be opened to introduce a flow of air.”
Transport arrangements were another area where expectations were not met.
“There were also promises for a pickup and drop-off area with Uber being in mind, which was not done.”
Parking also proved to be a point of frustration, though it should be noted that Fourways Mall does offer several levels of parking that visitors could have used and not everyone had to park at level 7.
One of the biggest criticisms surrounded bathroom access.
“There were no toilets at the event level, which meant people would have to go down 2- 3 levels to use the bathroom, which raised concerns of people leaving the event and not retunring”. This brought up criticism that rage isn’t what it used to be, and it’s a let-down as well as a waste of time.”
Understanding rAge’s Role as an Organiser
When assessing the success or failure of rAge, it’s important to separate the role of the organiser from that of exhibitors and brands. rAge provides the platform, but brand participation ultimately drives engagement, giveaways, and interactive experiences.
Preshaan summed it up with a simple analogy
“It’s like taking the horse to the river, but you can’t make it drink.”
This means that if brands choose not to attend or fail to activate meaningfully, the event naturally feels less impactful. However, venue selection and logistical shortcomings, such as ablution access, remain valid criticisms directed at rAge itself and the venue.
Brand Presence and Exhibitor Confidence
Looking at the brands that did attend rAge 2025, TechSceneZA applauds those that showed up and invested in the event despite the uncertainty surrounding the new venue. With exhibitor costs reportedly similar to previous venues such as Gallagher Convention Centre and Nasrec, their participation reflects a continued level of faith in rAge as a brand and as South Africa’s premier gaming and tech expo.
That said, conversations with exhibitors revealed growing concern around return on investment. While brands remain committed to rAge, many acknowledged that there is still significant work to be done to ensure that exhibitor value matches the cost of participation.
This concern was evident on the show floor. Products and merchandise that would typically sell out by Friday at past rAge events were still available by Sunday, in many cases at discounted prices. This shift suggests lower foot traffic engagement and purchasing behaviour compared to previous years, reinforcing the need for stronger attendee activation and brand-driven experiences moving forward.
Supporting Local Events Over International Hype
Preshaan shared insights from his interview with Len from NAG, which highlighted a broader issue within South Africa’s event culture.
“I did an interview with Len from NAG while talking about the retro LAN and I made mention to the fact that you know the NAG has been keeping LAN gaming or LANs alive through the NAG LAN at rage and I made a comment to along the lines the fact that Linus Tech Tips is hosting things like WHALE LAN and has so much of buy in and Len made a counter comment that said we are very fast to buy into international culture we compare ourselves and buy in to these international fame things like comic con and everyone wants to run to comic con but we fail to support these local initiatives like rAge & the NAG LAN, we all are buying into big name events like comic con .I even saw online someone made a comment of um you know what maybe rAge and comic con should join forces and stop hosting this or maybe rAge should just give up.”
Preshaan strongly rejected that idea and praised the vision behind the Fourways Mall experiment.
“I don’t think is the case and I applaud Michael and the team and many others even in the build up to rAge fail to have the creative eye or the visionary eye to see what could be done with this parking lot and I must say there is some learning to be done from this weekend like some promises that Michael had made that fourways mall has committed to making ablution facilities available on the top level and adding solar panels to the roof which would reduce the amount of heat that is actually in there and also adding an extractor fans but many people had or many people didn’t have that creative eye to see what could be done with this venue and I think I applaud rAge and the organisers and those that believed in it, it was actually a resounding success that they converted this parking lot into an exhibition space.”
Final Verdict: A Learning Curve, Not a Failure
Despite its flaws, rAge 2025 represented an important first step rather than a final product.
“All in all, I applaud Michael and the team at rAge for what they’ve done. They’ve built something and it’s the first step into many different things there were issues but they were being dealt with on the way and It’s the first time and it’s the first time that fourways mall has even hosted something like this so everyone has learnt from it and I hope that they grow to bigger and better.” but dont get me wrong there is blame to be placed especially on the venue and whether or not it was intentional or not remains to be questioned
Preshaan made it clear that his continued support for rAge is not about giveaways or freebies, but about what the event represents.
“I will still be there next year because of how much or what rAge stands for me as a person and for us a creator, and it’s not just about the free stuff or all the other bits in between.”
Support was also extended to NAG and its future plans. “I wish NAG as well everything of the very best. From what we’ve spoken to Len, they have plans to grow the LAN side of things as well.”
Looking Ahead to rAge 2026
rAge 2025 was not perfect, but it was ambitious. It challenged expectations and forced organisers, exhibitors, and attendees alike to rethink what a local gaming expo can be.
“We hope next year will be bigger and better with more exhibitors better tech, and you know, irrespective TechSceneZA will be there.”