New Partnerships
Krafton partners with Bollywood star Deepika Padukone as new brand ambassador for BGMI
The actress's involvement reflects Krafton’s commitment to engaging a wider audience and aligning with popular culture
Staff
Isa Muhammad
Job Title
MENA Reporter
About Isa Muhammad is the Lead MENA Reporter at PocketGamer.biz, spearheading the team's Middle East & Africa games coverage. He's been in games media for over seven years and is steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism. If he's not reading, playing games or catching up on his favorite TV shows, he's probably writing about them.
Articles by Isa Muhammad
Jobs In Games
Golden Whale appoints Thomas Aigner as SVP of business development
Aigner will leverage his expertise to strengthen the company's market presence and drive growth
New Partnerships
Hyperfusion partners with The Game Company to power cloud gaming in MENA and GCC
Both companies are focused on giving players a “near-lag-free" gaming experience
Funding News
Campfire secures $3.95 million for AI-native gaming
Sprites is designed to allow developers to build human-like AI characters
Game Cancellation
Scopely aims to retain employees after scrapping unannounced project
The company wants to keep all employees from the cancelled project as long as there is a "role and/or game experience that's a mutual fit"
New Beginnings
Supercell invests in new Finnish studio Redly Games led by former game lead Theo Chow
The Helsinki-based studio is working on a cross-platform 3D adventure game built with Unreal Engine 5
Investment News
Nazara invests $117 million PokerBaazi parent Moonshine
India games firm picks up 47.7% stake in the company
Excecutive Fallout
Annapurna Interactive faces mass resignation over leadership dispute
Negotiations to spin off the video game division as an independent entity fell through when Ellison withdrew from further talks
Job Cuts
Microsoft cuts 650 jobs in its Xbox games division
The cuts will largely impact corporate and support roles within Activision Blizzard
A New Entry
Sega’s Yakuza Wars is revealed to be a mobile game
The Facebook page appears to have leaked some information on the upcoming title
Job News
Homa appoints ex-BoomBit CTO Szymon Sirocki as new lead mobile architect
Sirocki joins Homa to strengthen its mobile tech stack
Investment News
InMobi lands $100 million for AI-driven expansion and acquisitions
InMobi will use the funds to propel its AI development and deployment efforts
India Insights
Why India's mobile gamers are more willing to spend in battle royale hits Battlegrounds Mobile and Free Fire
New report delves into player habits and market dynamics in the country
India Games Industry
Nazara invests $2.2 million in gaming community platform STAN
Nazara secured the deal through its subsidiary Nazara Dubai FZ
Mena Investments
MENA startup investment drops to 76% in August 2024
UAE-based startups led investment with $55.7 million raised across 13 deals
Esports Growth
Gosu Academy expands into the UAE to fuel esports growth
Esports coaching and education provider's existing presence in the Middle East will support the UAE's growing games community
Game Regulations
Korea clears bill to regulate overseas gaming firms
The bill requires foreign game companies to appoint a domestic agent
Esports Growth
FPT Telecom and GAM Entertainment partner to elevate esports in Vietnam
The partnership will also pave the way for students to compete in local and international esports tournaments
Ai Safety
SAG-AFTRA signs interim agreement with 80 games to ensure AI protections
By agreeing to the terms this will ensure that voice talent is appropriately protected
Mena Insight
"Awareness remains one of the biggest challenges in the MENA region"
Classy Games Studios founder Jamie McClenaghan discusses building a team in the UAE and the challenges of operating in an emerging games hub
Partnership Extension
Enthusiast Gaming extends NFL Tuesday Night Gaming partnership for third season
“The sports and gaming communities have become even more interconnected,” said chairman and interim CEO of Enthusiast Gaming Adrian Montgomery
Ai-powered Games
Jabali launches AI game engine Project Makina in closed Beta
Project Makina is a generative AI tool suite designed to simplify the creation and publishing of games
Closure Imminent
Dutch Game Garden is closing after 17 years
"In the coming months, several regular activities, such as the successful Network Lunches, will continue as planned," said managing director JP van Seventer
New Game Launch
Card roguelike Balatro is coming to iOS and Android this month
For iOS users Balatro will be included as part of the Apple Arcade subscription
New Trailer
FAU-G Domination pre-registrations go live on Android
The Dot9 Games developed title aims to meet the demand of Indian gamers who desire locally relevant content
Mena Region
Saudi Arabia's PIF to transfer gaming Stocks to Savvy Games Group
The PIF will remain a collaborative partner once the transfer is completed
New Partnerships
AppsFlyer partners with Unity to launch privacy Sandbox on Android Solution for marketers
The platform introduces tools that enable personalised advertising without relying on user or device IDs
New Partnerships
Nazara partners with government of Telangana to launch AI center of excellence
The AI Center will focus on games and digital entertainment to position the company as a leader in the AI-driven space
Milestone
Coin Master hits the jackpot with $6 billion in revenue
The US is the largest contributor to the game's revenue, amassing $2.4 billion in player spending
New Approvals
China licences 117 new games for domestic release bringing this year's approvals to 850 titles
The NPPA has now licensed 850 domestic video game titles in the first eight months of 2024
Pre-registration Milestone
Cosy open-world adventure Infinity Nikki surpasses 14 million pre-registrations
Sign-ups for the Closed Beta Test of Infinity Nikki are now open
Missing In Action
The curse of Kingdom Hearts: Why can't anything ever go right for Square Enix's beloved franchise?
Square Enix have pulled Kingdom Hearts Union X Dark Road from App Stores leaving fans in the dark as to why
Mena Growth
"Our focus on AI ensures we deliver the best possible experiences in our games"
YallaPlay CEO and founder Kareem Seddik talks localisation, leveraging AI in games and the company's focus on real-time multiplayer titles
Studio Expansion
Sandsoft moves up in Barcelona with a new office for its growing team
"This marks a significant milestone in our journey to becoming a leading game publisher and developer"
Leadership Change
Games Done Quick names Matt Merkle as new majority owner
"It's time for new leaders to steer the course," said GDQ founder Mike Uyama
Market Report
U.S. tops global marketing spend in mobile, parting with $6.6bn on iOS and $5.5bn on Android
Meanwhile the top European markets for marketing spend are the U.K., Germany, and France
Mena Insight
“Hitseeker is a platform that enables Kwalee to publish games with minimal human involvement"
Kwalee's lead technical product manager Waqas Khan on the new Arabic-edition of Hitseeker and its potential to boost the MENA games industry
Jobs In Games
Thomas Kœgler appointed Asmodee CEO as Embracer reveals new board of directors
The new board includes Embracer co-founder and CEO Lars Wingefors as chair, Kicki Wallje-Lund as deputy chair
Mena Market
MENA market hits 7.9 billion downloads and $1.78 billion revenue in H1 2024
PUBG Mobile dominates games downloads and leads in revenue alongside Roblox and Subway Surfers
Casual Games Report
Match-3 downloads are down 23% but Royal Match revenue coins it in
Newcomer Truck Star is the most profitable casual release of H1 2024, generating over $1.2 million in August alone
Tech On Top In India
Indian Government launches ‘Create in India Challenge' initiative to support creators
The competition features 25 challenges in fields ranging from animation, filmmaking, video games and music
Expanding Reach
Roblox opens up marketplace for more creators to boost business growth
"Our vision for MarketPlace is that it's a powerful place for creators and brands," said Roblox VP of economy Enrico D'Angelo
Mena Insight
"The key to infiltrating a market is being able to understand it"
Tafra Games CEO and founder Ziad Elgabaly discusses PC and console expansion, upcoming mobile games and the MENA funding landscape
New Partnerships
Nodwin Gaming pens multi-year partnership with Insider.in for events in India
Insider.in will become Nodwin Gaming's official ticketing partner in India for all key IPs across games
Mena Region
Maysalward partners with NEOM for second annual Game Dev challenge
The second edition will kick off later this year in Riyadh to be followed with a round in Jeddah for the first time
Netflix's Next
Netflix's SpongeBob: Bubble Pop F.U.N is now open for pre-registrations
The game will see players pop bubbles through hundreds of themed levels
Funding For Games
Google launches $2 million Indie Games Fund for Latin American studios
Indie game developers who have launched a game on Google Play, PC or console are eligible to apply
Game Closure
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened to shut down in Americas, Europe, and Oceania
Players that already have the game can continue playing until Tuesday, October 29th 2024
Mena Insight
"Our focus is undoubtedly on the Middle East market where we have unique advantages"
Yalla Group president Saifi Ismail on Yalla Ludo's success, MENA games industry growth, localisation challenges and upcoming games
New Partnerships
Xsolla partners with Savvy Games Group to grow the MENA games industry
Xsolla will establish a regional headquarters in Riyadh to help MENA developers and publishers grow their games