Video game developer and publisher Kwalee has penned a development publishing agreement with Saudi-based game studio Fahy Studios, marking the British company's first partnership with a studio from Saudi Arabia.
With a focus on the hybridcasual space, Fahy Studios has so far been committed to creating easy-to-play hypercasual games though plans to move into casual games and “More polished and established genres."
Kwalee took to LinkedIn to share the news where it describes Fahy as an aspiring dev studio, “Focusing on building fresh mechanics and engaging loops in hybridcasual games." The company went on to say it is utilising years of experience to, “Explore promising markets and back the best talent and games out there."
A new venture
The Eternal Hope publisher added that Fahy Studios has built, “A prestigious reputation in Saudi Arabia as one of the most exciting new games industry startups" after winning the grand prize at the Saudi Esports Federation Gameathon event and is currently fast-tracking their expansion within the LevelUp accelerator at NEOM, a unique economic zone backed by a $500 billion investment from the KSA's Public Investment Fund and various local and international investors.
The Fahy team also posted on LinkedIn to share their excitement about the partnership. “Big thanks to the Kwalee team for giving us this opportunity, and trusting us to deliver on the joint vision," the team wrote. “Working with Kwalee, a publisher with a wealth of experience and knowledge, will surely teach us a lot and accelerate our progress towards the next milestone; to develop Saudi's first truly global hit game."
The KSA startup also thanked NEOM for the LevelUp program which it says, “Truly opened doors for us" and that, “While we realize the journey is still long and full of challenges, today we feel more confident than ever in our ability to deliver on our ambitions.”
Meanwhile Kwalee's vice president of mobile publishing John Wright took to LinkedIn to say "I am extremely happy to announce this news, I am a strong believer in the vision of the studio and their founder Hani Hashem.
"I had the pleasure of meeting Hani face to face recently when he came to our office in Leamington Spa to sign the deal, an act with a big statement, travelling all the way from Saudi Arabia so we could meet who we are going to be working on. I learned a lot about the current plans for games in Saudi, as well as Hani’s passion for Fahy to lead the way! I am super excited to launch amazing games in partnership with such a talented team."
