Xsolla is setting up a regional gaming hub in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in partnership with the Dubai Film & Games Commission. Berkley Egenes, chief growth and marketing officer at Xsolla, and Faisal Kazim, games commissioner at theDubai Film & Games Commission, announced the partnership at GamesBeat Summit 2026 during a panel on the state of the game industry. Kazim said the partnership is part of an effort to show that the UAE remains open for business. That’s a real statement considering the ongoing war between the United States and Iran. Dubai has set ambitious goals of creating 33,000 jobs in the emirate by 2033, and it is already well under way with more than 150 game studios registering to do business in Dubai. The goal is to increase GDP in the city by $1 billion. Xsolla said the multi-year strategic agreement will create opportunities to build the things necessary for the Dubai gaming ecosystem to fully develop. The goal is to expand commercial access for developers operating across the Middle East and North Africa. The partnership will unite Xsolla’s global commerce infrastructure, including direct-to-consumer storefronts, intelligent payments across 1,000+ payment methods in 200+ geographies, and player engagement tools, with DFGC’s mandate to establish Dubai as a world-class destination for video game development and publishing. Together, the organizations will launch a joint studio accelerator program in Dubai, co-produce authoritative market intelligence on the games industry, and create reciprocal pathways for developers and industry leaders across their global networks…
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