Chris Kerr, Senior Editor, News, GameDeveloper.com
July 10, 2025
4 Min Read
Photograph of Riyadh via Pixabay (credit: apriltan18) // Side logo via Side
Game service provider Side (formerly known as PTW) is opening a new studio in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in partnership with the country’s state-backed Public Investment Fund (PIF).
As part of the move, Side has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with investment and esports firm Savvy Games Group—which is wholly-owned by PIF—to support the growth of the video game ecosystem in Saudi Arabia.
Side will open a physical studio in Riyadh by Q4 2025, which will focus on providing co-development services to MENA developers. It’s a move that might be viewed as controversial in some corners of the video game industry. PIF is chaired by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has been criticized for fostering a “reality of repression” in Saudi Arabia by human rights group Amnesty International. He was also linked to the murder of The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi (via The BBC).
Despite those allegations, PIF continues to make inroads into the video game sector and has purchased stakes in major studios like Capcom, Nexon, EA, Nintendo, and more.
When asked whether those criticisms influenced Side’s decision to partner with Savvy and PIF, the studio’s chief communications officer, Martin McBride, said “instability” in the region could impact how quickly it might grow in Saudi Arabia, but added that Side believes “great games can be created anywhere.”
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“At Side, we help create amazing games for people from all walks of life—gaming unites those who are separated by culture, creed, ideology, and physical borders. Our decision to partner with Savvy stems from that belief; great games can be created anywhere, and games that bring excitement to their players should be localized and translated so that everyone can experience them,” he said.
“There are over 20 million gamers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—that’s 60 percent of the population. With 71 percent being under the age of 35, Side is in a perfect position to help bring up a new generation of talent into our industry, tapping into a pool of young, eager gamers who have great ideas and buckets of ambition. Yes, instability in the region could play a factor in how quickly we can grow, but Side firmly believes in the vision of building a gaming hub in Riyadh and will support local developers looking to bring their games to a global audience.”
It’s a non-specific answer to a very specific question about culture washing. Earlier this year, Game Developer asked the same question to Savvy’s newly-appointed SVP and head of international business development Nika Nour, who was in London today to announce the partnership with Savvy.
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Despite a PR company approaching us for a written interview with Nour at the time of her appointment in January, the process stalled immediately after we asked about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and Savvy’s ties with PIF. After posing that question, we were told Nour was unable to answer our questions because she was busy relocating to Riyadh. We expressed we’d be happy to wait for the answers, but they never came.
Side claims Saudi expansion will support local developers
When discussing the finer points of Side’s partnership with Savvy, McBride noted the Saudi company is not providing Side with any funding. The partnership also doesn’t include any ownership stakes or equity agreements.
It’s unclear how quickly Side intends to grow its Riyadh studio, but McBride said the company’s recent opening in Sao Paulo, Brazil, is a good example of how the company looks to expand. “We’ve been able to grow that team from less than 10 people to well over 100 in under two years, with some of our biggest global clients moving business to that team due to their performance,” explained McBride.
He added that Side intends to work with international and domestic clients from its studio in Riyadh to create a “two-way exchange between Side and the talented, in-region studios we support.”
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“What we bring to the table is an established brand, access to triple-A projects, industry-specific jobs, and decades of world-class leadership spanning every facet of the game development lifecycle that can be shared with local talent,” he continued.
McBride feels the game industry is entering a “new era” of co-development and that workflows are changing rapidly to incorporate new technologies such as AI. He claims that’s positive news for Side, which operates over 20 studios around the world and has worked on more than 2,000 projects in the past decade.
“As long as we have humans playing games, we’ll need humans that can develop and discuss what games should look like,” he said. “Side will continue to be a key part of that loop, and we believe our Riyadh studio will be able to offer fresh talent, ideas and perspectives to an exciting and collaborative arm of the gaming industry.”
About the Author
Senior Editor, News, GameDeveloper.com
Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.
