NEOM Gaming Accelerator Welcomes Largest-Ever Cycle of Startup Studios

Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 7 January 2026 – NEOM, the sustainable regional growth taking form in northwest Saudi Arabia, has right now introduced the 5 recreation studios chosen to obtain funding as a part of its annual flagship gaming accelerator ‘Level Up’. Coupled with an preliminary mentorship part supporting an additional 18 studios, the announcement collectively makes the newest cycle Level Up’s largest but.

Level Up, pushed by NEOM Gaming, is the Kingdom’s longest-running gaming accelerator and a cornerstone initiative of the National Gaming & Esports Strategy below Saudi Vision 2030. With the gaming sector projected to contribute over SAR 50 billion (USD 13.33 billion) to nationwide GDP by 2030, the accelerator is designed to nurture and scale Saudi start-ups for long-term success via a tailor-made program addressing the distinctive challenges of operating a recreation studio.

Following a aggressive first part which noticed over 23 studios obtain mentorship throughout a wide range of matters, the 5 strongest studios have now been chosen. They will obtain important funding to speed up their product launch, an additional seven months of mentorship totalling 600 hours per studio, and entry to NEOM’s rising world Publisher Partner Network. This community contains UK-based video games writer Kwalee and Tamatem Games, MENA’s main cell video games writer.

The 5 Saudi studios chosen for the following part of this system are:

• Aiqona Productions: a inventive studio mixing animation, storytelling and interactive recreation design to craft partaking experiences.
• Fourcast Studio: a pioneer within the Kingdom’s indie gaming scene at the moment creating a social PC multiplayer recreation that introduces distinctive gameplay mechanics.
• Makera: a user-generated-content studio empowering communities to create and form their very own gaming experiences via instruments and interactive platforms.
• OFF BOX Studios: an rising Saudi recreation growth studio centered on creating progressive and immersive gaming experiences.
• Phys: a studio devoted to crafting high-quality gaming experiences with a powerful emphasis on know-how, design and inspiring motion/train amongst kids.

Toby Evan-Jones, Executive Director and Head of Gaming at NEOM, stated: “Over the past three years, NEOM’s Level Up Accelerator has been instrumental in supporting Saudi Arabia’s first generation of game developers through pre-seed funding and mentorship. This latest cycle builds on that success and reflects NEOM’s commitment to empowering talented studios who bring fresh thinking to the Kingdom’s gaming ecosystem. We’re proud to be playing a key role in driving forward the National Gaming & Esports Strategy and building sustainable, globally competitive businesses as part of Saudi Vision 2030.”

Sultan Alobaishi, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, stated: “The Level Up Accelerator powered by NEOM is a pillar of our gaming ecosystem, equipping startups with the tools, mentorship and global exposure to thrive. Since 2023, it has become the ideal next step for teams graduating from MCIT’s incubation programs, creating a seamless pipeline that transforms early ideas into globally competitive studios. The results speak for themselves: young Saudi startups are now winning awards, attracting investment and emerging as successful companies.”

To date, this system has resulted within the creation of greater than 170 jobs with 100% portfolio survivability and substantial development of investee entities. Several startups from earlier cycles have gone on to attain additional world recognition and success. This contains Fahy Studio, which secured the primary ever worldwide publishing deal for a Saudi start-up recreation developer with Kwalee, alongside funding of USD 1.75 million from Impact46 and Merak Capital. Other Level Up graduates – Starvania Studio and Majestic Mind Games – consecutively received the ‘Best Games Startup’ award on the 2024 and 2025 MENA Games Industry Awards.