Arab Game News

Saudi Arabia's Roshn Saudi League will make its debut as a fully licensed competition in Football Manager 27. Following a partnership between the Saudi Pro League (SPL) and Sports Interactive (SI), all 18 Saudi top-flight clubs will feature in the game, complete with official logos, player images and kits. Players will be able to manage clubs featuring stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mané and João Félix, while the addition brings Football Manager 27's total number of playable nations to 59. The partnership also supports the Saudi Pro League's efforts to reach international audiences through gaming, with Sports Interactive highlighting growing opportunities for Football Manager in the Middle East. Football Manager 27 will be available on PC from October 29, ahead of its worldwide launch on November 10. Full story in comments #SaudiProLeague #RoshnSaudiLeague #FootballManager27 #SportsInteractive #SaudiGaming #MENAGaming #ArabGameNews

Savvy Games Group's Savvy Academy will host a free masterclass on intellectual property for game developers in Riyadh on October 28. Titled 'Own Your Game: Intellectual Property for Game Creators', the session will feature Rafael Ferraz Vazquez from the World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO The masterclass will cover copyright, trademarks, patents and licensing, helping developers, artists and studio founders understand how to protect their work and manage IP rights. Taking place at CODE headquarters from 6pm to 8pm, the session will also be accessible online. Full story in comments #SavvyAcademy #SavvyGamesGroup #GameDevelopment #IntellectualProperty #SaudiGaming #MENAGaming #ArabGameNews

Abu Dhabi Gaming and Unity will host the second edition of SHIFT Game Jam from November 13 to 15, 2026, offering AED 60,000 in prizes. Taking place at Nabdh MBZ in Abu Dhabi, the three-day competition will bring together aspiring developers, students and industry professionals to create original games using Unity. The judging panel will feature representatives from Potion AI, Blackburne Games, Shababeek Labs and After Work Games, with additional mentoring support from Unity and Mental. Registration is free and closes November 6, 2026. Full story in comments #AbuDhabiGaming #SHIFTGameJam #Unity #GameDevelopment #UAEGaming #GameJam #MENAGaming #ArabGameNews

The Sharjah Animation and Comics Conference (Sharjah Animation & Comics Conference) will host three esports tournaments offering cash prizes as part of SACC 2026, taking place at Aljada from October 22 to 25. Organised by Sharjah Book Authority | هيئة الشارقة للكتاب, the four-day event will feature competitions in EA Sports FC 27, Tekken 8 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with up to 64 players competing in each tournament. The gaming programme will also include daily Just Dance, F1 time trial and Pac-Man challenges, alongside arcade games, multiplayer experiences, board games and a dedicated trading card game zone. Beyond gaming, SACC 2026 will bring together more than 75 speakers from over 30 countries for over 150 activities, including workshops, panel discussions and industry networking opportunities. Full story in comments #SACC2026 #Sharjah #Esports #UAEGaming #GamingEvents #ArabGameNews

Unity and Abu Dhabi Gaming will host Community Developer Day Abu Dhabi on November 12, 2026, at Yas Conference Centre, bringing together game developers and industry professionals for a full day of technical sessions and networking. The programme will explore Unity's engine roadmap, AI-powered user acquisition and monetisation, and AI-assisted development workflows. Founders of Fateless Games will also share how they built a game studio around an established community and raised $14 million. Participating speakers include: Mark Schoennagel (Unity) Hisham Saleh (Fateless) Dan Francis (Fateless) Anup Amarnarayan (Unity) Kartheek Gantela (Unity) Mike Geig (Unity) Attendees will also have opportunities for one-on-one Unity project reviews, interactive AI demonstrations, playable games and networking. The event runs from 10am to 5pm GST, with registration available through the official event website. Full story in comments #AbuDhabiGaming #Unity #GameDevelopment #UAEGaming #CommunityDeveloperDay #ArabGameNews

Applications are open for the UNDP and Al Ghurair Game Development Bootcamp, offering young Emiratis an opportunity to develop game creation skills and build their first playable projects. Led by UNDP and the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation, in collaboration with HP, the programme offers a Core Track covering game design, C# fundamentals, AI-assisted coding and prototype development, alongside an Advanced Track focused on 3D development and a Demo Day showcase. Participants will work towards a playable game prototype and a portfolio piece, with opportunities to showcase their work to industry professionals. The bootcamp is open to UAE nationals aged 18-35, with no previous programming experience required. Full story in comments #UAEGaming #GameDevelopment #UNDP #AlGhurairFoundation #HP #EmiratiTalent #GamingEducation #GameDev #MENAGaming

Dubai's GameForward initiative is launching Mythos Collide, a global online game jam running from October 15-18, challenging developers to build a playable game combining two or more mythologies in just 72 hours. Backed by Dubai SME and powered by Antler, the competition is being delivered in collaboration with the Dubai Film and Games Commission and GAMES.GG, led by CEO Omar Ghanem. Open to solo developers and teams worldwide, the game jam offers winning participants mentorship from Antler, exposure through GAMES.GG and GameForward's channels, and a place at an upcoming GameForward speaker session. Winners will be announced on October 19, with registration and submissions hosted on itch.io. Full story in comments #Dubai #GameForward #MythosCollide #DubaiSME #Antler #GAMESGG #DubaiGaming #UAEGaming #GameJam #GameDevelopment #IndieGameDev #MENAGaming

Abu Dhabi Gaming will host Finnish games industry executive Joni Lappalainen at its next AD Gaming Connect event on October 29, focusing on how to build and run a sustainable game development studio. Joni, CEO of Dreamloop Games and Chairperson of the Finnish Game Developers Association, will share insights from more than 30 shipped game projects and his experience helping over 40 studios bring their titles to PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PC. The session, How to Build and Run a Gaming Studio in 2027, will take place at Sandstorm, Yas Creative Hub, Abu Dhabi, from 4–8pm, offering founders and developers opportunities to learn from Finland's games industry and connect with the local gaming community. Full story in comments #AbuDhabi #AbuDhabiGaming #ADGamingConnect #JoniLappalainen #DreamloopGames #FinnishGameIndustry #GameDevelopment #GameStudios #UAEGaming #MENAGaming #GamingIndustry

Euro University of Bahrain has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Bahrain E Sports Federation to strengthen links between higher education and Bahrain's gaming and esports industry. The partnership aims to give students practical exposure to esports, opportunities to engage with industry professionals and skills development beyond the classroom. The two organisations will also explore collaboration across gaming, technology and student development initiatives, helping connect academic learning with opportunities in the wider digital economy. Full story in comments #Bahrain #BahrainEsports #EuroUniversityOfBahrain #EsportsEducation #GamingEducation #MENAGaming #EsportsIndustry #GamingIndustry

Nine Saudi game studio CEOs will come together for GameDevTober 2026, a five-day online event taking place from October 25 to 29. Organised by ZOHAL زحل and hosted by the مجتمع مطوري الألعاب في السعودية SGDC (Saudi Game Developers Community), the event will feature nine sessions exploring the journey of developing games, from initial concepts through to launch. Participating studios include: ZOHAL زحل Sasorisoft Entropy Minds TWWStudios Dark Arts Productions ThreePixels Gifiring Aiqona Productions Neurospike Softworks The sessions are aimed at aspiring developers and existing studio owners, offering an opportunity to learn directly from those building games in Saudi Arabia. Full story in comments #SaudiArabia #GameDevTober #GameDevelopment #SaudiGaming #ArabGameNews