Maysalward founder talks 2026 MENA games industry: "Capital on its own has never created a games industry anywhere"

The MENA region has seen impressive growth in recent years, with MENA-3 (Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt) in particular projected to reach $3 billion in player spending by 2030. Amid the region’s development and opportunities, there are also challenges. So, ahead of Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan on November 7th and 8th, we speak with Maysalward founder and CEO Nour Khrais for the latest market perspectives. PocketGamer.biz: How would you assess the MENA games scene at the moment? Nour Khrais: We have stopped having to prove that gaming is a real industry here.