Playgama Raises US$3 Million To Revolutionize Web Gaming

The UAE-headquartered Playgama, an HTML5 game technology startup, has raised US$3 million in a funding round led by The Open Platform and s16vc. The round is also backed by FJ Labs, The Games Fund, TON Ventures, and Kirill Eves, CEO and Founder of Unlimit.  

Strategically partnering with The Open Platform and TON Ventures, Playgama is redefining the future of gaming by seamlessly merging Web2 and Web3 experiences through a proprietary gaming portal featuring play-to-earn mechanics and crypto payment capabilities. 

Dmitry Kachmar, founder of Playgama. Courtesy of Playgama.

Founded by Dmitry Kachmar in 2023 during a break from his studies at Harvard Business School, Playgama is headquartered in Dubai and supported by a diverse, international team of over 30 professionals. An avid gamer and seasoned tech executive with extensive experience in advertising technologies and classifieds, Kachmar built a team with expertise from renowned companies like Miro, Playrix, Easybrain, and Vivid Money, spanning locations from the US to Indonesia.  

In an exclusive interview with Inc. Arabia, Dmitry Kachmar, founder of Playgama said, “The startup intends to use the funding in improving the platform’s infrastructure, making it even more robust, efficient, and scalable for a diverse range of developers and platforms.” He continued, “One key area of focus will be the development of advanced analytics, A/B testing tools, and enhanced QA solutions. These features will provide developers with actionable insights to optimize their games, test new features efficiently, and reduce time-to-market.”  

He added, “We plan to integrate more platforms and expand our global distribution network, ensuring that developers can reach even broader audiences across regions and platforms.” Lastly, “The investment allows us to grow our team of talented professionals, ensuring we have the expertise to innovate and execute on a scale.” 

The Middle East's gaming market is expected to grow to $10.69 billion by 2029. Globally, the market, which was valued at $23 billion in 2021, is expected to hit $32 billion by 2030, driven by in-game purchases and advertising. This growth creates a fertile environment for HTML5 gaming to emerge.

However, globally as well as regionally, the market remains highly fragmented. Unlike centralized platforms such as the App Store, Google Play, Steam, or the Epic Games Store, the HTML5 ecosystem spans thousands of standalone playgrounds, non-gaming websites, media outlets, social networks, and messaging platforms. Even leading platforms capture only small portions of the global web gaming audience, leaving developers without a unified way to reach the entire market.

Playgama seeks to transform this landscape and address this gap within the market. “Revolutionizing the HTML5 market means enabling developers to be everywhere their audience is, effortlessly. By breaking down the barriers of fragmentation, we’re creating a platform that helps developers earn more money while reducing their costs, ultimately increasing the total value flowing into the market and elevating it to an entirely new level,” Kachmar told us. 

Playgama envisions a seamless "master key" solution, empowering developers to effortlessly unlock access to all platforms, languages, and markets, expanding their reach, and connecting with diverse audiences worldwide across a range of platforms. 

To achieve this, Playgama is building a comprehensive Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) ecosystem designed to equip game developers with everything they need to navigate the fragmented web market. This platform boosts their reach, provides 24/7 support, eliminates the complexities of distribution, eases monetization, and lets developers focus on what they do best — creating and innovating games. 

“By providing a robust PaaS ecosystem, featuring advanced tools for quality assurance, marketing, payments, and analytics, we’re not just simplifying the distribution process—we’re empowering developers to maximize their reach and revenue. With this approach, we’re bridging the gap between what’s possible in the HTML5 market today and what its future could be.” 

Playgama’s platform is built to unlock opportunities for developers, connecting them to a vast network of playgrounds, distributors, and platforms. At its heart is Playgama Bridge, an open-source “integrate once, reach everywhere” software development kit (SDK) that has already empowered over a thousand developers by offering extensive support for numerous plugins and an ever-growing list of compatible game engines, including Unity, JavaScript, Godot, Construct 3, and GameMaker. "The concept of “integrate once, reach everywhere” is central to our mission of making game distribution more accessible and fostering innovation in the HTML5 gaming market. Think of it as real logistics: just as supply chains ensure that products reach store shelves efficiently, Playgama creates a streamlined distribution network that delivers games to players as quickly and broadly as possible. With a single integration through our SDK, developers gain access to a vast array of platforms—social networks, messengers, gaming hubs, and more—saving them time, effort, and resources while maximizing their reach," Kachmar explained.

He added, “For players, this means access to a broader, more diverse range of high-quality games. Players benefit from richer, more polished gaming experiences and seamless access to games directly within their browsers, social apps, and other platforms they already use.” Playgama creates an opportunity for players to discover new titles before anyone else and earn rewards for being early supporters through the concept of test-to-earn. “This dynamic feedback loop will redefine how games are launched and fine-tuned, benefiting both developers and players alike," Kachmar told us. 

“In aligning accessibility with innovation, we’re not just solving existing problems — we’re building a new standard for how games reach audiences worldwide, reshaping the gaming landscape in the process.”