NEOM, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, January 26, 2026<\/b><\/p>\n
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A new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Savvy Games Group and NEOM to streamline the journey of Saudi gaming startups from incubation to acceleration. This joint initiative aims to strengthen the Kingdom\u2019s end-to-end gaming ecosystem and advance the goals of the National Gaming and Esports Strategy under Saudi Vision 2030.<\/p>\n
The agreement formalizes a coordinated approach between Savvy\u2019s Nine66 Incubator Program and NEOM\u2019s \u2018Level Up\u2019 Accelerator, ensuring that startups graduating from Savvy\u2019s Incubator have the training, resources and support required to progress efficiently into NEOM\u2019s Accelerator. This Savvy-NEOM collaboration builds upon the rapid evolution of both programs and shall ultimately support a stronger pipeline of investable gaming studios.<\/p>\n
Savvy\u2019s Nine66 Incubator Program has helped early-stage studios validate prototypes, build foundational capabilities, and prepare for investor engagement. Through this initiative, Savvy aims to help startups achieve readiness to move into the subsequent stages of development and scaling.<\/p>\n
NEOM\u2019s Level Up Accelerator provides funding and mentorship to scale incubated studios into self-sustaining businesses. Since 2023, it has grown into a multiphase platform supporting more than 45 Saudi startups, deploying 15 investments, and achieving a 100% survival rate within its portfolio \u2013 outperforming many global benchmarks. With 17 international partners offering publishing and support, Level Up has enabled more than 170 jobs and facilitated a historic milestone: the Kingdom\u2019s first international publishing deal for a domestic gaming start-up \u2013 signed between Fahy Studio and UK-based publisher Kwalee.<\/p>\n
Amr Sager, Group Chief of Staff at Savvy Games Group<\/b>, said: \u201cAs the games industry continues to grow at a rapid pace in Saudi Arabia, there is an increasing number of programs and initiatives designed to help emerging studios and entrepreneurs to build, run, and scale their businesses. This momentum is encouraging, and the next step would be to create stronger synergy and alignment across these efforts, so that the journey is smoother and clearer for startups to identify and source the support they need. This is what our partnership with NEOM is really about, and we look forward to working with the team to continue empowering Saudi studios and game makers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Toby Evan-Jones, Executive Director and Head of Gaming at NEOM, said:<\/b> \u201cNEOM Gaming is proud to play a role in nurturing the Kingdom\u2019s gaming ecosystem, in line with the National Gaming and Esports Strategy. From sparking interest within high schools, to investing into young gaming studios via the Level Up accelerator, it\u2019s immensely satisfying to see the green shoots of a viable self-sustaining industry appear. We share a joint view, with Savvy Games Group, that increasing coordination around the startup journey shall benefit all parties, not least the young game makers which we support. We couldn\u2019t be more excited about this alignment.\u201d<\/p>\n
The respective program websites are below for further information:<\/p>\n
Savvy Nine66 Incubator: www.savvyacademy.sa\/savvy-incubator-program\/<\/a><\/p>\n