November is going to be a major month for our presence in the MENA region, and we couldn’t be more excited as we gear up to take our Pocket Gamer Connects programming back to Jordan for the first time since 2019 and celebrate the region’s amazing gaming community and achievements since!

If you didn’t know, we have some amazing events coming up in the Middle East region this November, including our first PG Connects conference in the region since 2019 taking place this November 12th to 13th and an unmissable exclusive summit for c-suite executives and leaders later in the month. We can’t wait to return to the MENA region next month!

We’ve had some amazing and hugely productive experiences in Jordan in the past, so today, we’re travelling back in time to take a look at our previous activities in Jordan. Walk down memory lane with us as we recall our time in Jordan and look forward to what’s coming up next!

Where it all began

Our first time in Amman was in support of the Jordan Gaming Summit in November 2017. We got to take part as a media partner of the Jordan Gaming Lab, King Abdullah II Fund For Development, and the Jordan Game Task Force, chaired by Maysalward’s Nour Khrais. It was a chance to attend one of the most exciting new gaming events in the Middle East. We were joined by over 500 people from both the local and global games industry at this summit and took our own local experts (including the brilliant Oscar Clark) out there to speak.

We also had the opportunity to bring our Big Indie Pitch pitching competition to Jordan for the very first time, our very first offering of this official pitch contest in the Middle East. We brought our globe-trotting indie competition to Amman as part of Jordan Games Week 2017, and presented the opportunity for local indie developers to pitch their games to a group of esteemed journalists for a chance to win media coverage and prizes worth a massive $5,500. The competition was ultimately won by the game Daft Jump by developer Threedotsgames. We ended our first trip to Jordan by joining speakers and VIPs on a trip to one of the modern wonders of the world, the ancient city of Petra in Jordan.

Meeting with major authorities of the region in 2018

Our time in the region in 2017 left us wanting more for the next year, and we couldn’t be more excited about the promise of Jordan as a key player in the global games arena. We officially licensed our b2b brand to Maysalward to create PocketGamer.me, a Pocket Gamer MENA site. This year also marked our second time attending the Jordan Gaming Summit, and on November 3rd that year, we got to bring some top local experts out there once more (including Mike Rose and Simay Dinc) to speak. In 2018, His Excellency Imad Najib Fakhoury of the King Abdullah II Fund for Development opened proceedings at the summit. We also got to host our Big Indie Pitch competition there once more, and it was won by A Cat’s Manor, developed by Happiest Dark Corner.

The International Mobile Gaming Awards MENA edition took place alongside our Big Indie Pitch, and the results were revealed in an evening ceremony partly hosted by our very own Steel Media CEO Chris James.

Following the conference, we got the opportunity to attend a roundtable (co-chaired by our CEO) on the future of the Jordan games industry attended by HRH Hussein bin Abdullah, Crown Prince of Jordan, taking place at the Royal Tank Museum. This discussion was covered widely in the national news. To round out our time in Jordan, we got to once again join speakers and VIPs on a trip to the glorious city of Petra.

The inaugural PG Connects conference in the MENA region in 2019

In 2019, we brought our globally-loved mobile gaming conference, Pocket Gamer Connects, to Jordan for the very first time from November 2nd to November 3rd. We welcomed over 700 delegates from 30 different countries at our very first event in the MENA region. Over 60 brilliant speakers, both local and international, provided over 35 hours of content across 10 diverse topic tracks, and we got the opportunity to showcase the incredible talent from across the region. This marked the largest b2b games event yet seen in the country, and we welcomed a diverse crowd from around the whole region to the packed two days, with a pleasingly-high percentage of female delegates. A number of local talent displayed their work to publishers, press and platforms across our Publisher SpeedMatch and Investor Connector sessions, pairing them with promising potential collaborators. Our Big Indie Pitch event made a comeback, as well, and was won by Hako Games’ Mulled 2 (mobile) and Monupon’s Wild Thieves (PC).

The International Mobile Gaming Awards MENA edition took place alongside our first-ever conference in Jordan, and the results were revealed in an evening ceremony. We once more rounded out our time in Jordan by joining speakers and VIPs on an exclusive trip to Petra, and got to make plenty of incredible new connections and unforgettable memories in a breathtaking location.

Our grand return this November 12th-13th

After more than three years away due to the global pandemic, in 2022 we are renewing our commitment to celebrating the region and uplifting local and global talent looking to explore opportunities there. The Middle East is the fastest growing region for the games industry with a 8.2% YOY growth in players and a revenue of over $5 billion, and we couldn’t be more excited to continue our relationship with the local games community and incredible businesses there. Here’s what we have coming up for you and how you can get involved below:

Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan, November 12th-13th
The leading international games industry conference, Pocket Gamer Connects, returns to Jordan for two jam-packed days of networking and knowledge-sharing in an incredible setting on the banks of the Dead Sea.

It’s going to be an unmissable two days welcoming 750+ attendees from across the region and beyond to hear from over 100+ expert speakers. Over 70% of our attendee pool is typically made up of brilliant gamemakers and Jordan will be no different. Our expert speakers will cover all the most pressing topics facing the games industry today, including game development, publishing, monetisation, investment, esports, new technologies (web3/blockchain and metaverse) and much more! You won’t want to miss all the bonuses, either. We’ll be hosting after-hours networking events and even a day trip to one of the Seven Wonders, Petra, for international VIPs. It’s truly going to be a sublime experience.

You will join a true cross-section of the games industry, from fresh-faced indie designers to experienced CEOs and investors, all looking to make new connections and do business. Expect to meet representatives of 400 top companies and enjoy 20 hours of talks and panels across two days. Don’t miss signing up while Mid-Term prices are still available!

PGC Leaders Summit Riyadh, Nov 30th-Dec 1st
Welcome to a new kind of summit from the team behind PG Connects. Intended for senior directors, founders, decision-makers and entrepreneurs, you'll enjoy talks, roundtables, and exclusive networking activities in the unique setting of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

This exclusive event is for C-level or equivalent attendees only, and will be capped at 150 leading companies present for an intimate evening of networking with only the finest in the games industry. Beyond the insightful talks from industry leaders and guided roundtable discussions, you’ll also explore the sights, sounds and tastes of the region with after hours events. Don’t miss joining us and seeing the reveal of the inaugural PocketGamer.biz Top 30 MENA Games Companies.

The event includes an evening experience of desert buggies, camels, falcons, food and entertainment. A limited extended ticket also offers access to a VIP sky box at the Soundstorm music festival. It’s going to be absolutely unmissable.

This summit is exclusively for C-level and Director level professionals, if you're unsure if you qualify please contact the team for more information here.

Celebrate the Top 30 MENA Games Companies 2022
Do you run a company that our editorial team should consider for the prestigious PocketGamer.biz Top 30 MENA Games Companies list? We want to know about it! Tell us why you deserve to be on the list by submitting your company for consideration on this form.