Krafton to lead W13b investment in Middle East mobile game publisher

South Korea’s Krafton, the company behind megahit video game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, said Tuesday it would help secure investment of 13 billion won ($11 million) for Tamatem, a leading mobile game publisher in the Middle East and North Africa.

The Korean game developer, which has already invested 7 billion won in the Jordan-based publisher, will work with investors like Venture Souq and Endeavor Catalyst to deliver the funding. Tamatem is one of the three major publishers in the regional market.

“We want to offer our Arabic users in the MENA market the best experience they can have with our games, like ‘PUBG: New State.’ ... We see huge growth potential in the region and plan to keep up our investment there,” Krafton said.

Tamatem, set up in 2013 to localize globally published mobile games for Arabic users, has since released over 50 games and sees 3.5 million daily users.

“We are at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the massive potential of mobile games in MENA and I am always super elevated when more people invest in the industry and the region,” Tamatem CEO and founder Hussam Hammo said.

Tamatem said it is planning to build more offices in Saudi Arabia, where it attracts 70 percent of its users, and start a gaming academy to educate new talents.

“We are reaping the rewards of our past successes and pushing forward with more experience and more grit,” Hammo said.

By Choi Si-young (siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com)