Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) is supporting leading Arabic mobile games publisher Tamatem Games in relocating its headquarters to Abu Dhabi, fuelling its next growth phase and reinforcing the emirate’s gaming ecosystem.
Abu Dhabi’s gaming landscape has more than 70 content creating companies, and ADIO aims to support this ecosystem though strategic collaborations in line with Abu Dhabi’s focus on innovation and technology. ADIO recently collaborated with Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video gaming companies who develop, publish and distribute games for consoles, PCs and mobile.
ADIO is providing growth-enabling support including setup enablement, connections to the Abu Dhabi ecosystem and international trade opportunities.
Badr Al-Olama, Director General of ADIO, said: "With an enabling environment, world-class ICT infrastructure and a vast pool of skilled talent, Abu Dhabi is becoming a global destination for the brightest minds in technology and design in the wider region. This is evident especially in sectors such as gaming, in which Abu Dhabi is steadily building an epicentre for developers, publishers and the industry’s top talent. Our collaboration with global leaders in the sector adds further depth to this growing and exciting ecosystem, and it also enables us to nurture the growth of Arabic content games from Abu Dhabi.”
Tamatem Games specialises in bringing culturally relevant and localised games to the Arabic language gaming community, with a diverse portfolio of over 50 games and 150 million downloads. Through its collaboration with ADIO, the company is looking to establish its Centre of Excellence in the emirate. It will join a growing ecosystem that is steadily working towards establishing itself as a regional e-gaming centre, and, to date, is the largest community of gaming companies in the region. The company will employ over 40 gaming specialists in Abu Dhabi and will collaborate closely with local universities on internship and training opportunities.
Hussam Hammo, CEO of Tamatem Games said: “We are thrilled to choose Abu Dhabi as our strategic partner for growth and innovation. This expansion marks an exciting phase for Tamatem Games as we extend our reach and elevate our games to new horizons. With Abu Dhabi's dynamic ecosystem and commitment to nurturing talent, we are confident in our ability to make a lasting impact on the global gaming landscape."
MENA gaming revenues are projected to hit AED22 billion (US$6 billion) by 2027. The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt’s combined gaming markets are expected to reach more than AED 11 billion (US$3 billion) in revenues by 2025.