Marvellous Mena
Tag: Saudi Arabia
Behind The Curtain
Who are EA's new owners?
Game Jam
Saudi Arabia launches the second edition of the Saudi Game Champions Program
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New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group signs MoU with Alinma Bank to deliver tailored banking solutions for Saudi gamers
The partnership aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Gaming and Esports Strategy
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Saudi-based Superbullet Studios aims to let anyone build Roblox games in three days
Founder Erickson Talaue and team are developing EvoLife as both a flagship Roblox game and proof of its AI workflow
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Merak Capital on investor expectations and taking MENA game studios global
"A common mistake we see is founders focusing entirely on the game’s creative vision without tying it to the commercial side"
Funding News
HYS Games raises $300k to accelerate development on upcoming flagship title
The project is described as a daring double-A game with triple-A ambition
Funding News
Evolite Studio secures $300k to accelerate development of its next game Noor
Noor is a top-down action game rooted in Arabian mythology
Funding News
Symmetric Studio secures $300k to grow debut title Valley of Fog
The game blends dungeon crawling with city building in a hybrid casual experience
Strategic Move
Savvy eyes multibillion-dollar deals in China and Asia amid US-China tensions
Currently ranked 8th globally, Savvy is pushing to climb the publishing charts
Acqusitions
Qiddiya acquires Evo operator RTS to expand its role in global esports
The acquisition supports Evo’s vision for original content and deeper live event experiences
Funding News
Classy Games raises $300k to fuel growth and accelerate development of SillySuspects
Funding will also support team expansion and community-building initiatives
Hot Five
Hot Five: Uma Musume: Pretty Derby’s overseas victory, Destiny: Rising’s mobile launch, and India's games companies hit by real-money ban
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
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Saudi Arabia’s games market projected to reach $1.64bn by 2028
Savvy Games Group's 2024 annual report shows the MENA region generated $5.62bn in 2024 and is estimated to reach $6.94bn in 2027
New Partnerships
Merak Capital signs MoU with HP to boost Saudi Arabia’s games and esports economy
Partnership to deliver events, workshops, and mentorship to build a sustainable talent pipeline
New Partnerships
Saudi Esports Federation and Merak Capital sign MoU to accelerate Saudi Arabia’s games and esports sector
Partnership expands training, certification, and global collaboration while attracting international studios
Funding News
Superbullet Studios secures $300k to scale Roblox game development
Funding will fuel marketing for flagship title SuperbulletAI, production scaling, and team expansion
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Yalla Group joins the $1bn Arab companies club with a $1.23bn valuation
The Dubai-based firm is the only gaming and social platform on the billion-dollar list
Funding News
DaFluffs Games raises $300k to accelerate work on debut title Dungeon Blast
The Saudi startup will use the funding to expand its team and scale development
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group signs MoU with Al Jouf’s strategic office to develop games and esports
Savvy and JSDO will co-organise events to attract gamers and esports fans to the region
Funding News
Sheba Joy raises $293,000 in pre-seed funding to scale operations from Saudi Arabia
Funding will expand production, attract top talent, and drive development of new titles
Investment News
Impact46 invests over $53m in Saudi games studio Kammelna
The studio is best known for bringing the Kingdom’s iconic card game Baloot to mobile
Funding News
Spoilz raises fresh funding to expand its development and live ops capabilities
Investment will fuel globally competitive mobile games and attract top Saudi talent.
Winners Revealed
Savvy Games Group and HP conclude GameOn GameJam with winning teams revealed
Winners to join Savvy Academy’s three-month Incubator Program in collaboration with Xsolla
Investment News
Impact46 invests $6.7m in five Saudi game studios
Investments align with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and National Gaming Strategy
Studio Closure
Sandsoft shuts down Riyadh and Barcelona studios
The Saudi mobile company moves to double down on publishing
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MENA-3 games market set to reach $2.8bn by 2029
A Niko Partners report found that the region had 72 million gamers at the end of 2024
Expansions
Side signs deal with Savvy Games Group to open Riyadh office
Firm plans to not only support Savvy’s initiatives but also launch its own training programmes in Saudi Arabia
Esports World Cup
Esports World Cup 2025 begins in Riyadh with record $70m prize pool
Of the prize pool, $27m will be spread across the top 16 clubs while this year’s winner will earn $7m
Annivasery
“We're not just building games, we're building habits”
UMX Studio CEO Ali Alharbi on the developer's 11th anniversary, studio growth, Jetapult funding and lessons learned
New Office
Savvy Games Group opens first permanent HQ in Riyadh
New HQ now houses both Steer Studios and Mirai, bringing them under one roof
Accelerator Program
Saudi Arabia’s NEOM to welcome 10 studios for largest Level Up accelerator cohort
Initiative designed for teams that have developed a minimum viable product or a vertical slice of their game
Game Jam
Savvy Games Group and HP launch climate-themed Game Jam in Saudi Arabia
The top three teams will then join the Savvy Incubator program in September
Mena Month
How Savvy aims to grow its games empire after $3.5bn Niantic deal
PocketGamer.biz speaks to CEO Brian Ward about buying the Pokémon Go developer Niantic, how it works with Scopely, and its plans outside of mobile
Acquisition Accomplished
Scopely acquires Pokémon Go developer Niantic's games business in $3.5bn deal
Blockbuster deal brings the multi-billion-dollar hit mobile game under the Savvy Games Group umbrella
Funding News
Saudi Arabia's Lobah Game Studio secures $12 million investment
Company will use the funds to accelerate development of its upcoming games
Mena Region
Saudi Social Development Bank backs esports and game development with $122m
The expanded financing portfolio has supported over 30 clients across esports, game development and publishing
Big Deal
Niantic reportedly in talks to sell Pokémon Go and games business to Scopely for $3.5bn
The deal isn’t finalised, according to people familiar with the matter, but could be officially announced "in coming weeks"
Esports In Mena
Olympic Esports Games in Saudi Arabia delayed to 2027
The IOC did not provide a reason for the delay, but confirmed that qualification will begin this year
New Studio
Monopoly Go developer Scopely opens new studio in Saudi Arabia
The new division, called Mirai, is led by industry veteran Charity Joy
Funding For Games
Merak Capital launches $80 million fund to support MENA games start-ups
The accelerator consists of a brief virtual bootcamp, followed by a 14 to 16 week core program
Mena Market
MENA start-up investments decline 52% to $134 million in October
UAE start-ups raised $61.8m across 15 deals, while Saudi Arabia-based start-ups secured $50m from over 21 deals
Mena's Rising Star
How government investment is fueling rapid growth in the MENA region
The fast-growing market is levelling up its gaming ecosystems and development talent
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Table Knight Games' co-founder Ghada A. AlHudaithi talks MENA challenges, company expansion and exploring new genres
"There has been a lot of vast opportunities for funding and support from Saudi Arabia and other venture capitals in the MENA region"
Investment News
UMX Studio secures $4.5 million investment from Jetapult to expand portfolio
Funding will "accelerate" developer's expansion in Saudi Arabia
Mixed Messaging
Saudi Arabia cuts Nintendo stake despite suggestions it could increase it
As of June, Saudi Arabia's PIF owned 8.58% of Nintendo, which is now down to 7.54%
Recruitment Drive
Savvy Games Group plots 600 new games industry jobs in Saudi Arabia
State-backed company opens up on strategy to grow local ecosystem and its global investments
Interview
"It is crucial that investors recognise the importance of investing in and believing in the local industry"
Raheebeen Studios founder Ahmed Alshaikh talks about the funding opportunities and efforts to support local developers in the KSA
Steering Strategy
Savvy's Steer Studios expands into console development
The company began building up its new division at the start of the year
International Expansion
Chinese publisher iDreamSky opens office in Riyadh for first international expansion
iDreamSky president and co-founder tells PocketGamer.biz the MENA region is an exciting new opportunity in the face of other saturated markets