NEOM Advances Five Saudi Game Studios In Its Largest Level Up Accelerator Cycle Yet
The selected studios will receive funding to support their product development and launch, along with a further seven months of mentorship.
NEOM, one of Saudi Arabia's largest giga projects, has announced the five KSA-based game studios selected to receive funding as part of the latest cycle of its gaming accelerator, Level Up, its largest so far in terms of the number of participants.
The announcement follows an initial mentorship phase that supported 18 studios, bringing the total number of participants in the current cycle to more than 23. After completing the first phase, five studios were selected to move forward to the funding stage.
The five studios advancing in the program are Aiqona Productions, which focuses on animation, storytelling, and interactive game design, Fourcast Studio, which is developing a social personal computer (PC) multiplayer game, Makera, a user-generated-content studio centered on community-driven creation tools, OFF BOX Studios, a Saudi game development studio working on immersive gaming experiences, and Phys, which develops games aimed at encouraging movement and physical activity among children.
In a statement, Toby Evan-Jones, Executive Director and Head of Gaming at NEOM, said, "Over the past three years, NEOM’s Level Up Accelerator has been instrumental in supporting Saudi Arabia's first generation of game developers through pre-seed funding and mentorship. This latest cycle builds on that success and reflects NEOM's commitment to empowering talented studios who bring fresh thinking to the Kingdom's gaming ecosystem. We're proud to be playing a key role in driving forward the National Gaming and Esports Strategy and building sustainable, globally competitive businesses as part of Saudi Vision 2030."
Sultan Alobaishi, an official at Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), added, “The Level Up Accelerator powered by NEOM is a pillar of our gaming ecosystem, equipping startups with the tools, mentorship, and global exposure to thrive. Since 2023, it has become the ideal next step for teams graduating from the MCIT’s incubation programs, creating a seamless pipeline that transforms early ideas into globally competitive studios. The results speak for themselves: young Saudi startups are now winning awards, attracting investment, and emerging as successful companies.”
Led by NEOM Gaming, Level Up has been running since 2023, and it serves as a core initiative under the National Gaming and Esports Strategy aligned with Saudi Vision 2030. Now in its third cycle, the program operates against a backdrop in which the gaming sector is expected to contribute more than SAR50 billion (US$13.33 billion) to Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product by 2030, with a focus on supporting Saudi game studios through a tailored structure that addresses both operational and creative requirements of running a game development business.
The selected studios will receive funding to support their product development and launch, along with a further seven months of mentorship, totaling around 600 hours per studio. They will also gain access to NEOM’s publisher partner network, which includes UK-based games publisher Kwalee and Jordan-based mobile game developer Tamatem Games.
Graduates from LevelUp's previous cycles include game development studio Fahy, which secured an international publishing deal with Kwalee and raised $1.75 million from venture capital firm Impact46 and investment firm Merak Capital. Other alumni include game studios Starvania and Majestic Mind Games, which were named Best Games Startup at the MENA Games Industry Awards in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
