Going Mobile
Behind the scenes: Bringing one of Africa’s oldest board games to life on mobile
MENA industry insider Stephen Sandmann discusses the development of Mancala Adventures with the Carry1st team
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
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
Podcast | Episode 27
Savvy's MENA investment and Finnish dev Lightneer closes | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode 27...
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
Mena Means Business
Savvy Games Group strikes key deals to power MENA industry growth
As string of partnerships and investments this week are focused on building the Middle East into a gaming powerhouse
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
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
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
Mena Region
Savvy Games Group signs Memorandum of Understanding with Niantic for MENA expansion
Savvy will help Niantic establish its regional operations in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt
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
Mena Market Growth
Sony launches MENA Hero Project incubator program for game developers
Sony is also focused on lowering the barrier of entry for local developers in the MENA region
Interview
"When you know Africa and its history it's easy to make a game that will speak to the whole continent"
Masseka Games founder Teddy Kossoko on telling African stories through games and overcoming growth challenges in the region
New Mobile Studio
Industry Veteran Mohamed El Sheakh launches new MENA mobile company, Games Ventures
The company aims to “build profitable mobile games from the Middle East, for the Middle East and the world"
Interview
"Africa is on track to become a top three market globally for mobile games"
Pan African Gaming Group chairman Jay Shapiro on building a network of game developers and sharing Africa's rich history of stories through games.
Developer Tools
Kwalee launches Arabic mobile game publishing platform for MENA developers
Kwalee's Hitseeker will now support Arabic-speaking developers with the tools and resources they need to create games
Mena Market
Saudi Arabia and UAE to propel Gulf region games spending to $3.24 billion by 2028
The KSA alone represented 49.5% of the gulf total revenue and 61.7% of its gamers in 2023
Esports World Cup
ESL FACEIT signs multi-year deal as official partner of the Esports World Cup
The ESL FACEIT Group will manage tournament operations and broadcast programming
Interview
"Jordan's talent pool offers significant potential for growth and innovation"
Chickmania Entertainment head of studio Mustafa Swiedan discusses the company's new initiatives, cross-platform aspirations and MENA challenges
Interview
"Cross-platform games are the future of gaming"
Mad Hook Games CEO and co-founder Hazim Al-Hanbali discusses shifting mobile game mechanics and the challenges of finding talent
Mena Workshops
Maysalward hosts Minecraft Education training workshop for teachers
The workshop trains teachers to integrate Minecraft Education into their classrooms
Mena Market Growth
Saudi Arabia leads MENA in VC investments and games market growth in 2024
With 21 million active gamers, the KSA is MENA's largest games market to be valued at $6 billion come 2027
Interview
"Navigating the MENA region's funding landscape specifically in Saudi Arabia has been quite promising"
Starvania Studio CEO and co-founder Meaad Aflah discusses her studio's latest project and the opportunities and challenges facing Saudi Arabia's games industry
Mena Trends
The trends and opportunities that are shaping Turkey's app market
Adjust’s Ender Özcan discusses what's new and what's driving growth in the MENA region
Ecosystem Expansion
Dubai is confirmed as Games of the Future host in 2025
Qualifiers are underway via the World Phygital Community’s Phygital Games 2024/25 tournament
Esports Growth
Olympic Esports Games set to commence in 2025
Saudi Arabia will host the first edition next year
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
Interview
"The golden opportunity in Egypt is its talent pool"
2024 Studios co-founder Ahmed Najeeb discusses what his studio is up to and the opportunities and challenges facing Egypt's games industry
Interview
Naphora Games Group co-founder on incubating developers and why the next generation will focus on smaller teams
"The games market is rapidly changing, with many unpredictable trends, making long-term projects riskier and more costly"
Esports On The Rise
Saudi Arabia set to host first Olympic Esports Games
The proposed partnership will span 12 years, with Olympic Esports Games held regularly in events everafter
Mena Insight
"To get to any audience you have to be aware of their cultures and Africa is a place of many ancient cultures"
AN Games founder Ahmed Fawzy on the company's work within MENA, new initiatives and future plans
Interview
Babil Games' CEO Ghina Al-Sharif on leading the company, effective localisation and MENA challenges
We talk emerging technologies, such as AI, and the importance of maintaining a company culture
Interview
"As an industry, we need a success story - a studio that achieves a major hit that captures widespread attention"
FitNot Games founder Abdallah Elshabrawy on the African games market and the region's latent potential
Interview
Spoilz CEO Musab Almalki on exploring AI in game development, MENA growth and funding challenges
"There's a discernible shift towards mobile gaming, with players increasingly seeking high-quality, localised content."
Interview
UMX Studio CEO Ali Alharbi on their upcoming game, company expansion and MENA opportunities
"The quest for experts, the uncharted terrain of an emerging industry - these are riddles awaiting solutions"
Interview
"Our mission is to challenge stereotypes and provide a platform for African voices in the gaming industry"
Eyram Tawia, CEO and co-founder of Leti Arts shares his vision for the evolution of the games sector in Africa
Steering Strategy
Savvy's Steer Studios expands into console development
The company began building up its new division at the start of the year
Interview
Steer Studios CEO Yannick Theler on Grunt Rush, MENA region growth and a new console division
"We aspire to develop a diverse range of games across various platforms, including consoles. In fact, we started building our console division at the beginning of this year"
Pgc Jordan
Discover the MENA opportunity: Visit the fastest-growing games market this November
Make the most of our Super Early Bird offers for the two-day Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan conference and save up to £300
Resilient Growth
Asia and MENA to reach 2 billion gamers by 2028 as revenue soars past $85 billion in 2023
India is the fastest-growing market and is expected to add 277 million gamers by 2028
Gaming In Africa
Xbox Game Camp Africa's second edition will take place in July
Registration for the latest event closes on Monday, July 15th 2024
Interview
Deluxe Creation Studios CEO Edu Shola on developing games in Africa, funding and future plans
"Funding is a general challenge and it’s not limited to the game space but it just happens to be more difficult in games, especially here in Africa."
Expanding Reach
Savvy Games Group invites Nintendo, Capcom, and others to establish Middle East offices
Saudi's prince Faisal says, “Game development is our long-term goal. We want to build a global hub for gaming and esports."
Mena Insight
"Operating a studio in MENA involves tough challenges: Cultural diversity, localisation, payment infrastructure and talent acquisition"
Jana Games Studio founder Seifeddine Wassim Haddar on the state of play for MENA and importance of community building
Interview
“There has been an increase in funding opportunities for African developers with more exciting times to come"
Dash Studios CEO John Ikpeme on the future of the African gaming landscape, his current projects and the pursuit of funding in Africa
New Partnerships
Saudi Arabia partners with Japan to create original anime and gaming content
The KSA aims to develop a local gaming industry that includes localizing Japanese games for the Saudi market
Interview
CN Studio co-founder Oussama Ouaziz on the growth and potential of gaming in MENA and Africa
"We've seen a growing demand for games that resonate with local culture and experiences, including games that feature regional languages, themes, and characters"
Futura Focus
Rising star: Why game developers are turning their attention to the UAE
Futura Digital dives into the business and legal aspects of setting up a business in the UAE
Gaming In Africa
Morocco readies first edition of Gaming Expo 2024
The event is focused on developing the Moroccan gaming industry as a global hub