Savvy Games Group partners with Xsolla

Video game commerce company Xsolla has announced a partnership with Saudi-based Savvy Games Group, focused on a series of programmes aimed at creation of game industry jobs and roles.

The two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a game development academy, incubator and accelerator programmes to support game development studios. Xsolla will also open an office in Riyadh to further support the project.

Xsolla is a company that helps game developers reach their target audiences easily and monetise their games. The company was founded in 2005 in Los Angeles, but operates on all continents and works with the likes of Valve, KRAFTON, Twitch, Epic Games and other high-profile gaming brands.

The deal with Savvy Games Group is aimed at creating a robust ecosystem for the education of game development workers and supporting growth of the industry in Saudi Arabia. The two partners noted that the deal is a part of the larger Vision 2030 programme that Saudi Arabia is working on.

Savvy and Xsolla will work together on a Game Development Academy, a place that will educate future game developers and those aiming to work in the industry, as well as an incubator that will support startups and smaller companies in their early stages. Lastly, an accelerator programme will be created to further assist those high potential projects and studios.

In addition to these three projects, the two brands will work on hosting video game events for business and consumer audiences, as well as provide funding for game development projects and create connections between local studios and international investors, according to a release.

Brian Ward, CEO of Savvy Games Group, said: “This partnership with Xsolla represents a significant step forward in our mission to elevate Saudi Arabia’s games and esports ecosystem to global prominence. By combining our resources and expertise, we are creating jobs and building a vibrant, sustainable industry that will drive opportunity and creativity for years to come.”