WEMADE partners with Nine66 to further its footprint in Saudi Arabia

WEMADE, the South Korean game developer, announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Nine66, a Savvy Games Group (“Savvy”) company, to drive the development of the gaming industry in Saudi Arabia.

Savvy’s long-term objective is to drive the long-term growth and development of the games and esports sectors in Saudi Arabia. The group consists of five independent entities covering areas such as game development, esports, investments and more.

Nine66 is committed to building and investing in the thriving gaming ecosystem in Saudi Arabia. Nine66 is driving growth and success in the region’s gaming industry through a range of initiatives and partnerships, such as publishing, incubator and accelerator programs, training and events, as well as supporting virtual and real-life game development communities.

Nine66 provides entrepreneurs and innovators in the games industry with everything they need to accelerate their work; everything they need to drive their business forward; and everything they need to deliver a real impact, that benefits everyone in the games community.

Saudi Arabia is already a leader in the Middle East’s gaming market, with over 80% of its 36 million population identifying as gamers. Recent government-led strategic initiatives are expected to have a positive impact on the Saudi gaming industry in the years to come.

WEMADE is one of the most well established South Korean gaming companies of over 22 years of history. The publicly traded company behind MMORPG “The Legend of Mir” series accumulated millions of users globally and has a growing userbase in the Middle East.

Through this partnership, WEMADE has committed to supporting the local gaming ecosystem by providing training and educational content, as well as collaborating with Saudi game developers.

Additionally, the partnership will explore various programs aimed at knowledge transfer, sponsorship of regional events, and expanding networks in the region to help grow the Saudi gaming industry and create new opportunities for developers and gamers alike.

The announcement comes as a follow up from official meetings during the LEAP Tech Conference that took place between February 6 to 9 in Riyadh. Over 170,000 participants and hundreds of speakers came together from multiple countries to the capital of Saudi Arabia, which saw leading tech companies partner with Saudi authorities to drive regional development on multiple fronts.

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy has set in motion a set of initiatives as a national effort to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy. As part of its mandate, Savvy is also set to invest USD 37.8 billion in the games industry.

WEMADE recently launched its new flagship game MIR M Global on January 31, which currently tops the ranks of video games in RPG category in multiple Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia. The partnership with Nine66 is one of the company’s latest moves in the region. In January, WEMADE announced the establishment of a subsidiary in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and plans to open another branch in MENA region and work with local projects and companies.

위메이드, 사우디 아라비아 게임사 ‘Nine66’와 전략적 파트너십 체결

• 위믹스 기반 게임 MENA 지역 서비스 추진 등 생태계 확장 노력
• 블록체인 게임을 비롯한 위믹스 관련 사업 한층 탄력 받을 것으로 기대

㈜위메이드(대표 장현국)가 새비 게임스 그룹(Savvy Games Group)의 자회사 Nine66와 전략적 파트너십을 맺었다.

새비 게임스 그룹은 사우디 아라비아를 글로벌 게임 및 이스포츠의 허브로 만들겠다는 장기적 목표로 설립된 게임 회사로, 앞으로 글로벌 게임 산업에 378억 달러를 투자하겠다고 발표했다. 산하에 게임 산업 인프라 구축, 게임 스튜디오, 게임 관련 투자, 이스포츠 등을 담당하는 5개 자회사를 두고 있다.

이 중에서 Nine66는 사우디 아라비아에서 게임 퍼블리싱, 개발자 육성, 파이낸싱, 컨설팅 서비스 등을 제공하는 핵심 자회사이다. 해외 인기 게임들을 MENA 지역에 맞춰 현지화하여 게임 생태계를 확장시키는데 주력하고 있다.

위메이드와 Nine66는 이번 파트너십을 통해 사우디 아라비아와 전세계 게임 개발 생태계 확장을 위해 다각도로 협력하기로 했다. 이와 함께 Nine66은 위메이드의 글로벌 블록체인 게임 플랫폼 위믹스 플레이(WEMIX PLAY)의 게임들을 중동 지역에서 서비스하는 것도 적극 고려하기로 했다.

한편, 위메이드는 위믹스의 중동 및 북아프리카(MENA) 사업 확장을 위해 위믹스 메나(WEMIX MENA LTD)를 아랍에미리트에 설립하며 해당 지역 진출에 가속도를 더하고 있다.

특히, 지난 1월 선보인 <미르M> 글로벌은 출시 후 중동 지역에서 긍정적인 지표를 나타내며 높은 인기를 누리고 있어 현지 시장 사업 확대에 대해 거는 기대가 매우 크다.

위메이드는 앞으로도 다양한 전세계 기업 및 프로젝트들과 협력하며 위믹스 생태계 확장을 위한 노력을 이어갈 방침이다.