UMX, a sport studio primarily based in Saudi Arabia, has raised $4.5 million from Jetapult, an funding firm backed by Accel Companions.
Jetapult, an India-based world strategic funding firm within the gaming panorama, mentioned the funding was an all-cash transaction.
Along with buying fairness, Jetapult will present capital to help the growth of UMX’s present portfolio, develop its audiences throughout world markets, and construct video games in new genres.
Ali Alharbi, founding father of Riyadh-based UMX, mentioned in an announcement, “This significant investment from Jetapult not only marks a milestone for UMX Studio but also heralds a new era for the Saudi Arabian gaming industry. We are thrilled to partner with a globally recognized leader in the gaming investments space. This collaboration will not only accelerate our expansion but also empower us with advanced tools and expertise.”
This will likely be Jetapult’s first funding within the (Center East/North Africa) MENA area, with additional investments deliberate in markets like South East Asia and Europe.
Jetapult’s group of worldwide gaming specialists, will assist catalyse the studio’s capabilities to boost consumer acquisition, scale monetization efforts, and undertake cutting-edge analytics and AI instruments by means of their “Invest & Operate” (I&O) mannequin.
Sharan Tulsiani (former head of Google Play Video games in India and Australia/New Zealand) and Yash Baid (former principal at 3one4 Capital) based Jetapult with backing from Accel Companions, Hearth and JetSynthesys, amongst others.
The corporate goals to help sport studios with a scientific strategy to sustainable development in markets resembling Southeast Asia, MENA, Jap Europe, and Latin America, by means of a $100 million dedication over the subsequent 5 years.
Origins
UMX Studio, based by Ali Alharbi in 2014, is without doubt one of the first homegrown sport improvement studios established in Saudi Arabia. The studio develops high-quality cellular video games that includes beautiful graphics, participating gameplay, and suitability for all ages. Whereas it has been round for a decade, that is the primary time that the corporate has raised cash.
Saudi Arabia is now a thriving marketplace for esports and informal avid gamers. One of many gaps within the ecosystem was a scarcity of high quality native sport improvement capabilities to construct culturally nuanced titles for the passionate avid gamers within the area. UMX has been addressing this and has constructed its firm profitably, concentrating on Arabic customers that search resonating content material like sand dune-bashing, automotive modification, together with their general love of racing.
The corporate’s video games have garnered over 70 million downloads until date, and the corporate has proven constant year-on-year development, pushed by a portfolio of video games that persistently prime the Apple and Google charts within the area. UMX has 72 workers.
UMX studio has a historical past of constructing top-charting video games on Google and Apple within the racing style. Probably the most notable being King of Steering, with a profitable title named DriftX set to launch earlier than Ramadan 2025. King Of Steering is the top-rated racing sport within the MENA area – it has a number of sport modes together with multiplayer racing, free-roam drifting, and stunt driving. It’s MENA-domiciled maps and Arabic optimized social layers drive shopper satisfaction.
Climbing Sand Dune Offroad pioneered a extra relaxed gameplay amenable to MENA audiences by permitting them to free-roam desert landscapes in off-road autos. It additional allowed gamers to improve vehicles, SUVs, and 4x4s in drag races, climbing sand dunes, and gather treasures with associates.
Jetapult’s view of MENA
The funding comes within the context of the exponential development of the gaming and esports sector within the MENA area with Saudi Arabia representing 39% of the Center East’s gaming income from shopper spending and is the fastest-growing market within the area, in accordance with Sensor Tower, 2024.
Jetapult mentioned it’s dedicated to UMX’s imaginative and prescient of fostering the Saudi Arabian market to grow to be a hub for sport improvement by harnessing Jetapult’s strategic experience and UMX’s native expertise and cultural nuance.
Tulsiani, CEO of Jetapult, mentioned in an announcement, “Jetapult’s investment in UMX goes beyond providing capital; we bring a wealth of proven gaming expertise and cutting-edge technology to this partnership with an aim to enhance gaming experiences across the Middle East’s emerging development ecosystem.”
Jetapult is an make investments and function firm backed by VCs like Accel & Hearth and a strategic investor like Jetsynthesys. The corporate’s major perform is to take a position and scale cellular gaming studios in rising sport improvement markets like India, MENA, SE Asia, Jap Europe, and LATAM. It has been operational since 2023 with a dedication of $100 million into investing and scaling cellular gaming studios.
Barath Shankar Subramanian, companion at Accel, mentioned in an announcement, “Jetapult’s investment in UMX Studio marks a significant milestone in expanding its presence in emerging markets like MENA, where gaming and game development is rapidly gaining momentum. Jetapult’s unique ‘Invest & Operate’ model, which was the core of our investment thesis, has the potential to transform the global gaming ecosystem, enabling growth for gaming studios and the exploration of new gaming genres.”
