Kwalee Expands Rapidly in MENA and Launches Arabic Mobile Game Publishing Platform
Hitseeker will support Arabic-speaking developers with tools, resources, and expert support to succeed on a global stage.
16 August 2024
Kwalee, a leading global game publisher and developer, is excited to announce that it has launched the Arabic-language edition of its mobile game publishing platform, Hitseeker, accelerating its commercial activities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) area.
The publisher is welcoming new partnerships with ambitious game studios in the region who could benefit from support in game design, marketing and developing their business. They can pitch their games directly on the platform and then use it to manage the full publishing process. For developers at an earlier stage in their careers, it also offers a range of useful tools and a coaching library to learn essential skills and concepts.
Hitseeker can be accessed at developer.kwalee.com/ar-SA/, and represents a major turning point for the efforts of Kwalee to empower and support a rapidly growing community of mobile game developers who speak Arabic. The Arabic version of Hitseeker comes with a wide range of tools as well as expert advice and a collaborative environment tailored specifically to the needs of developers from MENA.
Kwalee has achieved over 1.3 billion downloads of its mobile games and supports developers around the world to achieve success. It has launched over 100 games, received a range of prestigious ‘Best Publisher’ awards and has collaborated on major IP such as Ghostbusters: Afterlife ScARe in 2024.
In December 2023 it signed its first Development and Publishing agreement in the region with Riyadh-based Fahy Studios. The mobile publishing team is also supporting a range of studios taking part in the LevelUp accelerator backed by NEOM - a special economic zone being fueled by $500 billion of investment from the Public Investment Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and local and international investors.
A Strategic Move to Boost the MENA Games Industry
The launch of the Arabic-language Hitseeker platform is in line with Kwalee’s strategy to support the MENA region's emerging video games business, projected to be worth over $10 billion by 2026. Kwalee is an early entrant into this market as a global publisher to help nurture local talent with its expertise and sophisticated formula for success.
This partnership shows Kwalee’s commitment to foster the growth of a thriving game development ecosystem in MENA and help studios launch high-quality games into the region, as well as access the global market. Kwalee describes itself as the ‘developer’s champion’ and wants to take the games industry in the region to new heights by giving studios access to world-class education, tools and resources.
Kwalee’s Hitseeker platform simplifies the process of game development so that developers can test, publish, and optimise their games in one platform. With this new Arabic version, developers from MENA are fully equipped to use these resources in their native language, while still accessing the hit-making expertise of the United Kingdom-headquartered Kwalee team.
Key features of the Hitseeker platform include:
- Pitch Games: Share prototypes and concepts to the Kwalee publishing team, as well as test promising games with real players through platforms like Facebook and Unity.
- Access Analytics: Developers can easily integrate Kwalee’s tools into their games using an SDK and access important game performance metrics to make intelligent data-driven choices for improving the success of their games.
- Learning and Coaching Materials: Developers are able to access the latest tutorials and learning resources directly on the platform to stay up-to-date with industry best practices.
- Collaborative Ecosystem: Hitseeker’s discussion forums, file management and feedback system ensure that there is constant improvement as well as expert support from Kwalee.
John Wright, VP of Mobile Publishing at Kwalee, said:
"Game developers we speak to in the MENA region have incredible talent and ambitious game ideas but are looking for an experienced partner. Kwalee wants to help them take centre stage and reach their full potential. Hitseeker, available in English or Arabic, is our way of reaching out and offering this guidance. We’re the publishing partner that will support developers with the skills and support they need to get their games to the global stage.”
Arabic-speaking developers are invited to join the Hitseeker platform today by registering at https://www.developer.kwalee.com/ar-SA/.
The English language version of Hitseeker can also be accessed by developers at https://www.developer.kwalee.com/register
With the support of Kwalee, developers in the MENA region can now turn their innovative ideas into hit games, reaching audiences both locally and globally.
About Kwalee
Kwalee is a global games publisher and developer with more than 1 billion downloads on mobile platforms, with games such as Draw it, Teacher Simulator and Airport Security. The studio also publishes a growing catalogue of PC and console titles, including games such as Wildmender, Robobeat, The Precinct, The Spirit of the Samurai, Hordes of Hunger, Voidwrought, In Sink and Space Chef.
Founded by games industry icon and Codemasters co-founder David Darling CBE, who is joined by a team of global games experts with studios in the UK, India, Portugal and China, Kwalee is on the lookout for high-quality games to publish on all platforms and encourages developers to get in touch.
Outside of its games, Kwalee is also highly active in the industry, as an ambassador of not-for-profit organisation Women in Games and a regular supporter of charities like Safe In Our World, GamesAid and SpecialEffect.