Swedish mobile strategy games developer FunRock has opened a new studio in Egypt as it pushes further into the Middle East and Northern Africa market.
The new studio is based in Alexandria, and currently employs a team of ten. FunRock is hoping to increase this team to 50 by the end of 2018.
The developer’s games already have a focus on the MENA market, despite being based in Stockholm. Opening a studio in Egypt will therefore allow the team to better integrate with the market, as well as hire those who better understand the needs of the players.
Moving closer
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“By choosing Egypt as the location for our first international office, we’re seeking to establish a bridge between the talented engineers and developers in Europe and those in Egypt,” said Magdy Shehata, co-founder and chief marketing officer of FunRock, as reported by Daily News Egypt.
“FunRock has assembled a team of the best engineers and developers with unique skill sets and experience in a wide variety of fields. We are keen to constantly develop the game details through our cooperation with professionals in Egypt and the MENA region.”
The MENA region is one of the fastest growing in the world in terms of mobile revenues. Applift and Newzoo recently found that the region will generate $2.32 billion in revenues in 2017, up 46% year-on-year.
Global mobile game revenues expected to hit $64.9 billion in 2020
The mobile games industry is expected to generate $46 billion in revenues in 2017 and grow to $64.9 billion in 2020, according to AppLift and Newzoo.
The Middle East and Africa are expected to see the largest amount of growth in terms of revenue. While it will only generate $14.65 from each paying user, for a total of $2.32 billion for the year, this represents a 46% growth year-on-year.
Looking geographically, the APAC region is expected to generate revenues of $27.5 billion in 2017, an increase of 21% year-on-year. Average annual spend per paying gamer is also predicted to hit $69.53.
North America’s average annual spend per paying user is set to be much higher, coming in at $108.36 for 2017. However, due to mobile games holding a smaller market share than in Asia, it is expected to generate just $8.26 billion for the year.