The Finalists for 2024

DUBAI GAMES STAR

This special award recognises a Dubai-based games company who has demonstrated a considerable amount of success, influence, and impact despite their relatively recent arrival within the industry.

• BoomLand
• DMCC Gaming Centre
• Nifty Craft
• Oneness Labs
• Predipie
• Sawa Group
• Yalla Group

BEST GAMES STARTUP

Any MENA games company that has been established (in 2023) for 18 months or less, has significantly evolved their business, and made an impact on the industry through innovation, creativity, and/or other initiatives – but has not necessarily brought a game to market yet.

• Emeraldz Studio
• Fahy Studios
• Foxrito Studios
• Game Hermits
• Hajem Sports
• Kashkool Games
• Nifty Craft
• Nomadroid
• Starvania
• Tafra Games
• TakaHouse Gaming Studio
• Yalla Game / YG Technology

BEST GAME INNOVATION HUB/DISTRICT

Showcasing the innovation hubs that support developers with centres that cultivate creativity, enable locally produced content, and accelerate the MENA gaming space.

• AD Gaming
• DMCC
• in5 Tech
• NEOM
• Sharjah Media City
• Tamkeen

BEST TOOL & SERVICE PROVIDER

This accolade is for companies that support the MENA ecosystem through either dedicated development tools – game engine, AI, middleware, etc – or the enabling of monetisation via advertising (or other means), thereby helping developers create their games and grow their audience.

• Arabic Writer (Evolite Studio)
• Audiomob
• Craftware (Nifty Craft)
• Elevatix
• GameUp (Sourena Game Studio)
• Pay1st (Carry1st)
• Reymit (Sourena Game Studio)
• Tamatem Plus (Tamatem)
  
• Xsolla

MOST INNOVATIVE GAME

Any MENA-based game, released in 2023, that pushes the boundaries of the game dynamics – whether through play mechanics, technical achievements (or use of technology itself), and more – to deliver a unique experience for players.

• AVO Escape Space (Game Cooks)
• Fateel (Evolite)
• Hajem Sports (Hajem)
• Martha EDU
• Predipie
• The True Persian Love Story (Emeraldz Studio)

BEST ARABIC LOCALISATION

This accolade awards studios that have supported games last year in the areas of localisation, ensuring that both new releases and updates go live with as few hiccups as possible, and are localised appropriately for target MENA markets.

• Assassin’s Creed: Mirage (Ubisoft)
• EA Sports FC 24 (Electronic Arts)
• Good Pizza, Great Pizza (TapBlaze)
• HAWKED: أكبر مغامرة صيد الكنوز – The 4 Winds Entertainment
• Hogwarts Legacy (Avalanche Software)
• Infinity Kingdom (SAWA GROUP)
• Mafioso: Godfather of Mafia City (Paeezan)
• Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)

BEST IN ESPORTS (SERVICE)

This award recognises and celebrates the most impressively implemented and strategically sustained MENA esport-related support service of last year.

• Gamers Hub
• Kafu Games
• Power League Gaming
• The Esports & Gaming Agency
• True Gamers
• Zain Esports
• Zawaya Gaming

BEST IN ESPORTS (TEAM)

This award recognises and celebrates the most consistently successful MENA-based esports team performance throughout 2023.

• Falcons Esports
• FATE Esports
• Geekay Esports
• NASR ESPORTS
• Team RA’AD
• Twisted Minds

BEST WEB3 GAMING

Showcasing the company that is bringing the most impactful use of, or support for, Web3 technology to the MENA game development scene.

• BoomLand
• Everdome
• Farcana Studio
• Kiraverse (Param Labs)
• Nunu Spirits
• Oneness Labs
• PlanetQuest (Galactic Entertainment)
• SastanaGaming (Sastanaqqam)
• The World of Nifty Craft
• WEMIX (Wemade)
• Yayy

INVESTOR OF THE YEAR

This award showcases an investment within the MENA games industry that has played a vital role in the success and growth of a company in the region during 2023.

• FineWill Capital
• GEM Capital
• Level Up (NEOM)
• National Development Fund
• Savvy Games Group
• Shorooq Partners
• Triple Dragon
  

BEST DEVELOPER

Any MENA games company that has released a game, or successfully grown an existing game, during the past year, as well as expanded their business and made an impact on the industry through innovation, creativity and other initiatives.

• 2024 Studios
• AHAKuo Creations
• Chickmania
• Evolite Studio
• Game Cooks
• Inspired Square
• Jawaker
• Mad Hook
• Maysalward
• Shanab Games
• Spoilz
• Table Knight Games
• Tarboosh Games
• UMX Studio
• YallaPlay

BEST PUBLISHER

Celebrating a MENA company that has assisted developers in releasing a game during the last year, whether through publishing support, marketing, co-development, or investment.

• Babil Games
• Game District
• MBC Group
• Naphora Games Group
• Sandsoft
• Sawa Group
• Tamatem Games
• Yalla Group
• Yayy

MENA GAME OF THE YEAR

This award recognises the finest games experience released last year based on creativity, play mechanics, technological, artistic and aural achievement, innovation, audience engagement, and both critical and commercial success.
To be eligible for this award, games must have been given a full release, received a significant update, or maintained substantial live ops activity, during 2023.

• AVO Escape Space (Game Cooks)
• DC Heroes & Villains (Jam City/Sandsoft)
• Fake Emperors (Pershaland)
• Fateel (Evolite)
• Jawabak Jawabahom (Table Knight Games)
• Jawaker: Games & Friends (Jawaker)
• Kammelna (Remal)
• Merge Kingdoms (Yalla Game / YG Technology)
• Spades Masters (YallaPlay)
  
• UHD (Mad Hook)
• VIP Baloot (Tamatem)
• West Hunt (NewGen Studio

MENA MARKET LEGEND

This illustrious lifetime achievement award recognises a person from the MENA region who has achieved a considerable amount of success in their career and has acted as a pioneer in, and made an outstanding contribution to, the regional games space.
The MENA Market Legend is a special award, selected directly by the organisation committee of the MENA Games Industry Awards.