New state-of-the-art MENA games studio powered by talent from Activision Blizzard, King, Electronic Arts, Zynga, Rovio, Warner Bros.
Sandsoft, an innovative mobile-first game developer, publisher and investor, today announces the opening of Sandsoft Riyadh, a mobile games development studio based in the heart of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Creating over 80 exciting career opportunities in the region, the studio is the first step in Sandsoft's significant investment in the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) gaming ecosystem.
Sandsoft is driven by seasoned games industry veterans, including its CEO David Fernandez, who whilst at King expanded the legendary Candy Crush and Bubble Witch IPs; as well as Rovio veteran and Head of Publishing, Miikka Lindgren. The company already has an established global presence, with hubs in Europe, and a publishing arm in Shanghai, China. Its advisory board includes industry titans including Trip Hawkins (Founder, Electronic Arts), Kati Levoranta (ex-CEO, Rovio), and Alex Dale (ex-CMO, King).
Sandsoft has recently invested in major IP-linked mobile titles including Rambo: Strike Force, and Pacific Rim: Breach Wars, and has recently started to invest significantly into new and emerging technologies and projects in the gaming space such as blockchain.
Sandsoft Riyadh will be led by Yahsir Qureshi, who has more than a decade of experience across some of the most successful AAA and free-to-play games ever released, most recently while building FIFA's Ultimate Team at EA. The Riyadh studio will act as a worldwide headquarters for Sandsoft, which is committed to nurturing local talent through a first-of-its-kind paid internship program in the MENA region, Press Start. Launching this year and targeting emergent KSA talent who are passionate about entering the global games industry, the program will allow a select group of game creators to develop their own games with the support and resources of the wider Sandsoft organisation. Press Start creators will benefit from the guidance of Sandsoft's seasoned games industry figures while keeping the autonomy to decide what game they want to develop.
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Sandsoft is the gaming arm of Ajlan & Bros Holding company, one of the region's largest corporations, providing the Riyadh Studio with access to unrivalled infrastructure.
Mr. Abdulaziz Alajlan, Managing Director of Sandsoft, commented:
'Sandsoft Riyadh will contribute to making Saudi Arabia a global gaming powerhouse, in alignment with the national strategy for games and esports that His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently launched, as a pivotal and important step to start a new phase for this sector, following Kingdom's Vision 2030. Sandsoft's studio in Riyadh will be an important part of this vision by identifying and upskilling MENA talent, and combining it with the very best of global games industry expertise to create an international gaming dream team across development, publishing, and investment.'
David Fernandez, CEO at Sandsoft, added:
'We have established a world-class mobile gaming team that's poised to position Sandsoft as the premier MENA games company, and we're excited to be expanding our local footprint. A key mission is to discover and attract the best and brightest local game development talent, and to nurture it with the expertise of leaders from gaming's top international firms.'
Investment in the local KSA games industry is vital for Sandsoft and aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, a government-backed initiative to diversify the economy and create career opportunities for future generations. Mobile gaming is a rapid growth sector across MENA, with 434 million mobile gamers who make up 15% of the global player base, and a games market expected to grow by 10.8% this year.
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About Sandsoft
Founded in 2020, Sandsoft is a gaming company based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia focused on publishing, developing & investing in high quality game experiences and studios internationally. Sandsoft is committed to delivering engaging and entertaining experiences to players in the MENA region and globally supported by an experienced team with a proven track record. This seasoned team is composed of passionate game creators who have worked on some of the most successful game franchises ever released including FIFA, Candy Crush, Need for Speed, Angry Birds and World of Tanks and provide a deep-rooted knowledge of the video games market. With offices in Saudi Arabia, Spain, Finland and China, Sandsoft aims to bring continents, cultures, and people closer and help develop the gaming ecosystem across MENA to take it from an emerging market to a global market leader.
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