Saudi Gaming Tech Platform Qwacks Raises US$480,000 Pre-Seed From Merak Capital

Saudi gaming technology startup Qwacks has raised US$480,000 in a pre-seed round from Riyadh-based investment firm Merak Capital.  

Founded by Anas Alsahli and Abdulrahman Alfozan in Riyadh in 2024, Qwacks builds the technology infrastructure that game studios need to develop, test, launch, and operate games more efficiently.

With fresh capital in hand, Qwacks plans to expand its technology stack, deepen product integrations, and support more studios across Saudi Arabia and the region. The company also intends to strengthen its operational capabilities as demand rises for locally built gaming infrastructure. 

In an interview with Inc. Arabia, Alsahli, co-founder and CEO, Qwacks, shared how his enterprise was born from first-hand exposure to the recurring weaknesses that slowed down regional game development. “Qwacks was founded after years of working within the regional gaming ecosystem, including roles at Steer Studios and earlier involvement in acceleration programs like Game Changers and Game Founders," Alsahli said. "Across all of these environments, the same pattern appeared repeatedly: developers knew how to build fun experiences, but struggled with technology, marketing, production pipelines, and project management. The creative talent was strong, but the execution gap was wide.” 

Those early observations shaped Qwacks' decision to focus on back-end infrastructure rather than content. “Qwacks was created to directly address those bottlenecks by building the software infrastructure developers were missing," Alsahli explained. "The goal is simple: help great ideas reach players faster and reduce the risk of failure for studios.” Shortly after he began forming the company, Alsahli was joined by AlFozan as co-founder to lead its technical work, and Qwacks has since grown to focus on enabling a thriving, interconnected regional gaming ecosystem. 

And the company’s platform reflects that ambition. Qwacks is building a unified technology layer that supports the full lifecycle of game development through three products: Flock, a scalable backend-as-a-service for online and multiplayer games; ProtoKite, an artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced playtesting system that links developers with real players; and DataDuck, a market intelligence engine that aggregates platform data to help studios evaluate ideas and opportunities. The combined approach gives teams the ability to move from early experimentation to live operations with fewer barriers.

That clarity of vision is what ending up leading Merak Capital to back Qwacks. “Merak Capital has established itself as a major force shaping the future of the Saudi gaming industry, and Qwacks is directly aligned with their mission and with the growth of the studios they support," Alsahli pointed out. "The challenges we are solving are not isolated; they are shared by every stakeholder—investors, publishers, and developers. Execution issues, fragmented data, inefficient pipelines, and costly production cycles affect the entire value chain. Qwacks addresses these problems with a clearer, more scalable approach and with early proof points that demonstrate impact. Our tools give studios the ability to build efficiently, launch confidently, and operate sustainably. That alignment of vision, timing, and ecosystem value is what we believe made Qwacks an early-stage investment worth backing.” 

The investment in Qwacks comes at a time when the region’s gaming environment is accelerating quickly. “The region is entering a period of rapid growth, with hundreds of studios emerging, scaling, and professionalizing," Alsahli pointed out. "Most are still in early or mid-growth stages, which means their biggest challenges lie in infrastructure, tools, and operational excellence rather than content alone." Plus, as more studios progress into more structured production phases, their needs continue to converge. 

“The challenges span the entire development lifecycle," Alsahli explained. "Studios need better market understanding, more reliable playtesting pipelines, and efficient launch and live operations (LiveOps) systems. Qwacks addresses each of these areas through its integrated platform: DataDuck gives studios a clear understanding of market trends and competitive landscapes. ProtoKite enables structured, real-player testing early in development. Flock supports launch, LiveOps, analytics, and ongoing game management at scale.” He added that these components collectively “create a unified pipeline that helps teams make informed decisions, refine their product, and execute with confidence from concept to post-launch.” 

Looking back on his own journey building deep-tech tools for game developers, Alsahli was happy to share his notes for other founders in this space. “Identify a real problem, understand it deeply, and build a focused solution that truly addresses it," he said, "Many founders start with a technology idea first, but the strongest products begin with a clear pain point. When you solve a real problem with intention and precision, everything else—adoption, partnerships, and growth—follows naturally.” 

Pictured in the lead image are Qwacks co-founders Anas Alsahli and Abdulrahman Alfozan. Image courtesy Qwacks.