Gaming studios with investment sizes of Dh 16 million and above make UAE their new home

Gaming studios with investment sizes of Dh 16 million and above make UAE their new home

Dubai: The UAE is fast emerging as a sought-after destination for gaming industry giants and start-ups, and could soon see the birth of the first high-budget game to be fully developed within the country. With investments of Dh 16 million and above, the UAE’s tech ecosystem, strategic location, and strong government backing have enticed top gaming companies and start-ups to establish their presence in the region. This has led to a surge in job opportunities, economic growth, and the development of innovative games that cater to both regional and global audiences. Take the Dubai-based Farcana gaming studio, for example. Farcana is an AAA game (a classification used within the video gaming industry to signify high-budget, high-profile games) developed on the blockchain ecosystem with battle royale mode. Ilman Shazhaev, Founder and CEO of Farcana, set up his studio in Dubai a year ago. The game, currently in pre-production, could be one of the first AAA games to be fully develop in the UAE. Usually, gamers in the region play games set in the US, Europe, China and South Korea. Designed with a solid eSport focus, Farcana transports players to a colonised Mars, where they engage in 4v4 PvP (a multiplayer interactive