Savvy Games Group & NEOM Sign MoU to Strengthen Saudi Games Startups
The MoU links Nine66 and Level Up to smooth Saudi studios’ path from incubation to acceleration.
Savvy Games Group and NEOM have signed a memorandum of understanding to align their gaming startup programmes, creating a more structured pathway for Saudi game studios to progress from early incubation to acceleration. The agreement is positioned as part of broader efforts to strengthen the Kingdom’s end-to-end gaming ecosystem under the National Gaming and Esports Strategy.
Under the arrangement, studios graduating from Savvy’s Nine66 Incubator Program will transition more efficiently into NEOM’s Level Up Accelerator. The coordinated handover is intended to ensure that startups leave incubation with validated prototypes, foundational capabilities and investor readiness, before moving into acceleration focused on funding, mentorship and long-term scalability. Savvy Games Group said the alignment is designed to produce a clearer pipeline of investable Saudi gaming studios.
Nine66 has focused on supporting early-stage studios by helping founders refine concepts, build teams and prepare for market engagement. Level Up, which launched in 2023, has developed into a multiphase accelerator supporting more than 45 Saudi startups to date. NEOM said the programme has deployed 15 investments, maintained a 100% survival rate across its portfolio, enabled more than 170 jobs, and facilitated the Kingdom’s first international publishing deal for a Saudi game studio, signed between Fahy Studio and UK-based publisher Kwalee.
