In a recent announcement, WeMade, the South Korean game developer shifting to blockchain, NFTs, and DeFi has signed an onboarding agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Rogue Sentinel Studios for the blockchain game Astra Nova.
Astra Nova, slated for release in the latter half of 2025, represents cutting-edge action RPG development, powered by Unreal Engine 5. The game promises to significantly elevate the player experience by integrating blockchain and AI technologies within an expansive and immersive universe.
In Astra Nova, players will embark on an extraordinary journey on the space planet “Astra Nova,” humanity’s final bastion, engaging with its wild flora and fauna. The game is designed to offer a wide variety of content, including action-based combat with advanced technology, magic, and weaponry.
As per the announcement, Wemade is committed to broadening its WEMIX PLAY lineup and diversifying its genre offerings through ongoing partnerships with leading development studios worldwide.
This doesn’t come as a surprise, given that in February of this year WEMADE, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with KSA based Nine66, a Savvy Games Group (“Savvy”) company, to drive the development of the gaming industry in Saudi Arabia.
In addition WEMIX and Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to create and accelerate growth opportunities for their respective portfolio companies and Web3 startups.
Last year WEMIX expanded into the MENA region with an office in UAE.
The gaming industry in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has been steadily growing over the past few years. It is a dynamic industry that includes the production and sale of video games, gaming hardware, and software. Additionally, it encompasses platforms such as mobile devices, consoles, and PCs.
By 2027, it is projected that MENA’s digital gaming revenue will almost double from its 2021 value of approximately $3 bn.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt are the top three gaming markets in MENA. These markets have a high number of gamers, a strong market presence, and significant growth potential.
