The Middle East is perhaps the most interesting, and fastest growing region in all of gamingdom. The last few years it has been undergoing a profound transformation, one that is redefining its position in the global gaming industry. For years, MENA was considered a promising but underdeveloped market. Today, it’s rapidly becoming a key player, backed by visionary national strategies, major investments, and a new generation of local talent. 

As someone who has had the privilege of working closely with stakeholders in the region, I can confidently say: the MENA gaming renaissance is here. The drive, passion and want to succeed is like nothing I’ve ever experienced, as my friend Hani Hashem, CEO of Fahy Studios once told me “the Saudis are not playing at gaming, they’re coming to win at it”.

Capital Fuels Creativity

Gaming in MENA is now seen not just as entertainment, but as serious business. In Q1 2025 alone, MENA startups raised $1.5 billion across nearly 180 deals, a clear signal of growing investor confidence. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), through Savvy Games Group, is leading the charge, with its $38 billion commitment to gaming and esports.

Among the most notable moves was Savvy’s $4.9 billion acquisition of mobile games giant Scopely. This gave the region a direct foothold in global publishing. In a further twist, Scopely recently announced it will acquire Niantic’s games business, including the massively popular Pokémon GO, for $3.5 billion, creating a ripple effect that extends MENA's gaming influence even further.

These deals in effect have caused Saudi Arabia to own two of the biggest franchises of all time, Monopoly Go and Pokemon Go, which really is something. Equally don’t forget that the ruler of Saudi Arabia, HRH Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, is an avid gamer himself and a driving force behind their gaming strategy overall. When the leader of the country is the one pushing this, and he’s one of the richest men on the planet, anything is possible.

NEOM, Marek Capital and the rise of local accelerators 

NEOM, the futuristic city under construction in Saudi Arabia, isn’t just about architecture and AI. It’s also home to the Level Up Accelerator, a game development program that nurtures regional studios with mentorship, funding, and exposure to global markets. During my time at Kwalee my team participated in multiple rounds of this and helped dozens of studios get capital as well as mentorship, which overall is the underline request from most MENA studios, cash isn’t a problem, it’s historical expertise and experience that they covet over all else.

Equally important to mention is the other players in the market, there are over a dozen local MENA VC’s all looking to invest in games, actively, right now, which is very different from their US or EMEA counterparts, as I mentioned recently in my investment article, it’s never been harder to raise funds via a VC in games and also the number of accelerators supporting games is really high compared to other regions.

Merak Capital in particular is one that has always impressed me. I had numerous meetings with them discussing their investment thesis and their own gaming accelerator called Exel by Merak, which is a 16 week programme that will help studios in the region grow to even higher levels. Even this week I found out that my good friend Jamie McClenaghan, CEO at Classy Games Studio (HQ’d in Dubai currently) had successfully raised an undisclosed amount from them and been accepted into the accelerator programme.I asked Jamie for a quote about MENA and he said:

Strategic Incentives for Builders

Saudi Arabia and the UAE aren't stopping at capital, support and training. The government is also deploying strategic tax incentives to lure gaming companies to establish regional headquarters in the Kingdom. The offer? A 30-year corporate and withholding tax holiday for approved HQ operations. It’s a game-changing policy that positions the country as one of the most attractive destinations for international publishers and studios. Let’s not also forget that Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al-Saud has also been making trip to gaming hubs like Japan and pushing the message and dream of MENA gaming, trying to entice Japanese companies to establish office locations in the region, which is something I’ve personally never seen before.

Vision 2030: A Cultural and Economic Mandate

All these moves tie back to ultimately tie back to Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s ambitious roadmap for economic diversification. Entertainment and gaming sit at the core of this agenda, with goals to establish over 250 gaming companies and generate 39,000 jobs by the end of the decade. This isn’t just about fun and games, it’s about building a new pillar of the national economy. Equally it’s not just SA, it’s the 2031 vision in the UAE, trying to achieve the same thing, so it really is thunderbirds are-a-go across the entirety of the region.

Building Bridges: Kwalee x Fahy Studios

Lastly, at a personal level, one of the most exciting developments I’ve been part of is the partnership between Kwalee and Fahy Studios. This collaboration, facilitated by NEOM’s accelerator, is a powerful example of how local insight and global publishing experience can come together to create something unique.

Fahy Studios, with their cultural depth and ambition, are developing games that speak authentically to the region but can also be successful on the global scale. At Kwalee, bringing the experience in mobile publishing, live ops, and player engagement. Together, they’re not just launching games, they’re helping shape the future of gaming in MENA and I am very proud to have led this during my time there.

I really believe that we’ll see more MENA studio and western publishing collaboration throughout 2025.

So, What’s Next?

The MENA region is no longer on the sidelines. As Hany said, it's playing to win. With increasing access to capital, world-class infrastructure, favourable policy, tax incentives and global partnerships, the region has already become a dominant force in gaming, but can it become number 1? That’s the real question I’m asking myself.

The road is seemingly paved with gold, but is that true, or do we have to remember that saying about everything that glitters.