Chinese publisher iDreamSky opens office in Riyadh for first international expansion

• Riyadh branch will run publishing operations for team shooter Strinova, as well as support developers publish their games locally and internationally
• MENA opportunity is similar to that of China's early industry, says iDreamSky president Jeff Lyndon

Chinese publisher iDreamSky has opened its first international office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as it plots its global expansion.

The company has previously partnered with overseas publishers to bring their games to China. It has worked on titles including Playrix’s Gardenscapes and Pixionic’s War Robots.

It has also developed its own in-house title, anime-style third-person tactical competitive shooter Strinova, which it aims to launch globally on PC later this year through its new publishing house. In the long-term, it hopes to bring the title to mobile devices.

Having built its own tech stack and expertise in development and publishing, iDreamSky now also wants to act as a publishing partner for developers across the MENA region and the world, not just in China.

Overseas expansion

Speaking to PocketGamer.biz, iDreamSky president and co-founder Jeff Lyndon said the company started thinking about an international expansion in 2019. It had looked around the world, including the likes of Helsinki, Denmark and across the Middle East, but then the pandemic struck, temporarily halting its ambitions for a few years.

By the end of 2022, the hunt for where to start its global expansion began again, with the world having changed significantly since those early scouting missions.

“It's a big move,” said Lyndon. “If you think about it, from 2020 to 2022 the world has changed a lot.”

Lyndon said the Middle East has become a welcoming destination for games companies as countries in the region look to invest heavily and grow their tech hubs.

Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group announced its $38 billion investment fund in 2022 to fuel growth of the company’s gaming operations and the country as a games hub.

Meanwhile, Dubai has its own Program for Gaming 2033 initiative, which recently launched a new Gaming Visa to attract talent to the city. To compete, other nations in the region have also followed suit with their own investments, subsidies and gaming plans.

Emerging opportunities

Lyndon said he was attracted to Saudi Arabia by its gaming ambitions, the investment interest in the region and wider acknowledgement of the games industry as a growth sector, as well as the MENA region’s overall potential as a new games market.

He said the region ticks a lot of boxes for iDreamSky’s expansion - government backing to grow the local industry, wider investment interest, and a new market of consumers that has a majority of players aged under 30.

For Saudi Arabia, Lyndon said the country’s gaming ambitions aren’t just words, they are backed by action, including the aforementioned investment in the industry, as well as support for companies setting up in the country. This, combined with its wider Vision 2030 program, is what attracted iDreamSky to set up its first international office in Riyadh.

Lyndon said that the feeling in Saudi Arabia and MENA is like what he experienced in China 20 years ago. And with a new market comes an opportunity to not act on the “defensive” in a saturated market like China, he said, but to become a major player in a new, emerging industry.

“China is great now because two generations ago, our leader made a big bet to talk about a dream that everyone thought was crazy,” he explained.

“... and today you're seeing that result right? Today, what we're experiencing in China is we're seeing that result.

“So I see a very similar sense or feeling across the GCC region, and I see it even more in Saudi Arabia. And for me, that's what excites me a lot.”

He added: “I think this is that new playground where we can be aggressive, we can innovate.”

Want more insights into the MENA games industry? Join us at Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan on November 9th and 10th, 2024 to hear from local leaders and experts about the hottest trends and discover why this region is the fastest growing games market in the world.

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