A video game company backed by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia is looking to strengthen its ties with Japanese developers, including giants like Nintendo and Capcom, to encourage new investments and gaming localizations in the Middle East. Is about Savvy Games Groupthe largest foreign shareholder in Nintendo, with also stakes in companies such as Capcom and Nexon.
“One of the main areas of our initiative is how we collaborate on localization products and help Japanese intellectual properties grow in a region that is currently underserved due to poor localization”, explained Prince Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud, Vice President of Savvy Games Group, in an interview with Nikkei Asia.
In the last weeks, Prince Faisal has visited several Japanese video game companies with the aim of forming a hub industrial in Saudi Arabia to become the localization center for foreign games. Additionally, it seeks to hire and train Saudi engineers to develop a local video game industry.
“Game development is our long-term goal: “We want to build a global hub for gaming and esports.”
Contacts with Nintendo, Bandai Namco, Capcom and Konami
Prince Faisal has invited various Japanese developers to consider opening offices in the Middle East, a market that is currently managed from offices in Europe. As of March 2023, the PIF owns 8% of Nintendo and 6% of Capcom, in addition to having acquired the mobile developer Scopely and two esports event companies, among other investments.
Although their future plans include the development of games for consoles, they are currently focusing on the mobile market.
With these initiatives, Savvy Games Group aims not only to attract foreign investments but also encourage the growth of a video game industry robust and sustainable in Saudi Arabia.
