A Major Boost for Saudi Arabia’s Gaming Industry
Saudi gaming studio Lobah has raised $12 million from the Social Development Bank (SDB), the bank announced during Leap 2025 in Riyadh. This investment is part of SDB’s commitment to expanding support for the gaming and esports industry, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s National Gaming and Esports Strategy.
With this funding, Lobah aims to expand its gaming portfolio, support developers, and strengthen Saudi Arabia’s position as a gaming powerhouse in the region.
Lobah – Journey and Vision
Lobah came into being through the merger of two gaming companies—one with 20 years of experience in mobile social gaming across the Middle East and MAU Games, a Saudi studio with 14+ years of expertise. The studio is led by co-founder Eisa Atawi, who originally founded MAU Games over a decade ago.
Introducing Lobah Play – A Hub for Developers
In January 2025, Lobah launched Lobah Play, a game publishing and monetization platform. In fact, it was designed to help developers network, release, and monetize their games. The platform looks to become the exclusive hub for all of Lobah’s future titles.
Their first game, Habhab, a casual fruit-merge game, is already live on Lobah Play. The studio is also developing:
- Kingdom of Letters – A trivia game inspired by the ’90s TV show حروف
- Jackaroo – A strategy board game combining marbles and cards
It appears that all future Lobah games will be available exclusively on its own platform.
SDB’s Larger Investment in Gaming & Tech
During the same event, the Social Development Bank announced additional major investments in Saudi Arabia’s gaming and technology sectors:
- Increasing its total gaming portfolio to $122M
- Providing $6.7M in funding for Virtual Reality Solutions Company
- Boosting its tech financing portfolio to SAR 898M ($240M)
Additionally, SDB revealed strategic partnerships with Microsoft to leverage Azure cloud computing and AI capabilities and with Informatica to enhance data management and governance solutions.
A Step Toward Saudi Arabia’s Gaming Future
With strong backing from SDB, Lobah is well-positioned to become a major player in the gaming industry, offering new opportunities for developers, gamers, and the broader Saudi esports ecosystem. Moreover, this investment marks another significant step in Saudi Arabia’s journey toward becoming a global leader in gaming and esports.
