NEOM Funds Five Saudi Game Studios Through Its Flagship ‘Level Up’ Gaming Accelerator
NEOM, the sustainable regional development taking shape in northwest Saudi Arabia, has announced the selection of five Saudi game studios to receive funding as part of its annual flagship gaming accelerator, Level Up, marking the largest cycle of the program to date.
The announcement follows an initial mentorship phase supporting 18 additional studios, making this the most expansive edition of the accelerator so far. Driven by NEOM Gaming, Level Up is the Kingdom’s longest-running gaming accelerator and a core pillar of the National Gaming & Esports Strategy under Saudi Vision 2030.
With the gaming sector projected to contribute more than USD 13.33 billion to national GDP by 2030, the accelerator is designed to nurture and scale Saudi startups through a tailored program that addresses the unique challenges of building and operating a game studio.
Following a highly competitive first phase, during which more than 23 studios received mentorship across multiple disciplines, the five strongest studios were selected to progress to the next stage. They will receive critical funding to accelerate product launches, seven additional months of mentorship totaling 600 hours per studio, and access to NEOM’s global Publisher Partner Network, which includes UK-based games publisher Kwalee and Tamatem Games, the leading mobile games publisher in the MENA region.
The five Saudi studios selected for the next phase are:
- Aiqona Productions
- Fourcast Studio
- Makera
- OFF BOX Studios
- Phys
Toby Evan-Jones, Executive Director and Head of Gaming at NEOM, said:
“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, said:
“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, the program has resulted in the creation of more than 170 jobs, with 100% portfolio survivability and significant growth across investee entities. Several alumni from previous cycles have gone on to achieve global recognition, including Fahy Studio, which secured the first-ever international publishing deal for a Saudi game developer with Kwalee, alongside USD 1.75 million in investment from Impact46 and Merak Capital.
Other graduates, Starvania Studio and Majestic Mind Games, consecutively won the Best Games Startup award at the 2024 and 2025 MENA Games Industry Awards.
