Swedish mobile developer Funrock raises $2.5 million for expansion in the Middle East and North Africa

Swedish mobile games developer Funrock managed to raise over $2.5 million to expand its operations in the Middle East and North Africa.

Amongst the investors in Funrock were Mojang co-founders Carl Manneh and Jakob Porser.

Funrock plans to release strategy games tailored for MENA markets, starting with strategy title Etihad Al Abtal.

To facilitate this expansion last year the company opened a new studio in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. The branch already has 20 employees with plans to grow further.

Egypt was chosen as the location for the new office thanks to investment opportunities and readily available talent. That the country shares a timezone with Sweden is a plus.

Ready to rock

"The Middle East’s gaming sector will triple in volume from $1.6 billion in 2014 to $4.4 billion in 2022, with the region possessing all the ingredients to join gaming’s A-list: a young, tech-savvy population, fast and improving internet capacity and high smartphone penetration,” said Funrock CCO Magdy Shehata.

Founder and CEO David Wallinder (pictured, main) added: "The company is experiencing rapid growth in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait due to the increased interest in this type of gaming in these countries and the eagerness of the gamers to challenge their friends and their willingness to pay money for additional benefits and features in the game.”