Blockchain, gaming, and their ultimate merger web3 gaming, are all industries experiencing significant growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Key drivers behind this growth are proactive government initiatives, substantial investments, and a tech-savvy, innovative youth population.
Tapping into this momentum, Animoca Brands recently announced the opening of its new Dubai headquarter, at the heart of the MENA region. Alongside the expansion, the company also appointed Omar Elassar as managing director for the Middle East, and head of global strategic partnerships.
We had a chat with Elassar and Animoca Brands CEO Robby Yung about why the company chose to settle in the region. Indeed, Elassar confirmed that MENA is bursting with forward-thinking innovation and a talent-pool that’s growing increasingly global, all supported by real government backing.
Yung added that Animoca Brands “actually spotted the growing gaming trend in the region as early as 2015 – particularly in terms of battle royale and shooter games resulting in higher spending in its male demographics, and the impact of esports in Saudi Arabia – but it’s taken almost a decade before finally settling into a regional office”.
The web3 gaming sector in MENA is also rapidly catching up with the rest of the world, particularly Asia, a market Elassar described as “more mature”. Again, he stressed that being actively backed by local governments plays a crucial role in MENA’s growth.
“UAE in particular is showing forward-thinking in terms of crypto and digital assets. More than just hype – there’s real ambition.”
MENA can help set the blueprint for responsible web3 scaling.
Omar Elassar
Inevitably, this trend is going to draw attention from international actors. So now that Animoca is established in Dubai, we asked if it’s mainly looking to partner with local studios, or use its strategic expansion as a gateway to reach global growth.
While it aims to support international developers eyeing the prospect of settling in the region, “we’re here for both local and global players and companies”, said Elassar, explaining that Animoca is also looking to engage more broadly with MENA-based web3 builders and infrastructure developers.
In this respect, Mocaverse and adoption of its interoperable identity layer is something Animoca is particularly looking to advance through partnerships with other developers in the region.
Yung added that the short term goal of the Animoca Brands’ Dubai branch is business development, but further down the line this could expand into product development too.
Speaking more generally about web3 and how MENA can play a role on a global level, Elassar said “the backdrop is that web3 is moving beyond speculation. There’s a public sector interest in the web3 market, and MENA can help set the blueprint for responsible scaling”.
Alongside web3, the gaming industry is also changing rapidly due to the explosive advancements of AI technology. We asked Elassar and Yung how this factors into the larger web3 gaming outlook?
Elassar particularly mentioned the impact on smarter, more adaptive NPCs and agentic AI in gaming, also pointing out how AI tech is significantly lowering the barriers of production in terms of cost effectiveness.
“AI is particularly interesting in its impact on UGC”, added Yung, confidently stating that “based on projects I’ve seen recently, we’re soon going to experience some big changes in UGC”.
Are you interested in getting first-hand experience from the growing games market in the MENA region? Pocket Gamer Connects returns to Jordan – to its new Aqaba location – on 8-9th November 2025. Register now to make the most of our Super Early Bird ticket offering.
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