Among the glittering towers of King Abdullah Financial District in Saudi Arabia, a new company is playing the long game.
Steer Studios – formerly known as Savvy Games Studios – launched last year with the goal of not only creating the first blockbuster video game from the Arab world, but also developing a new generation of Saudi talent to lead that charge into the future.
That aim is reflected in the steady arrival of local and international signings, ranging from experienced developers and 3D artists to animators and audio engineers.
When The National visited the company's headquarters in Riyadh, one could literally smell the ambition.
The walls are freshly painted and office space is being expanded to accommodate the more than 60 staff members.
A further 25 or so are expected to join by the end of the year.
Leading that evolution is a veteran of the industry.
Steer Studios' chief executive Yannick Theler arrived in Riyadh last year after nearly two decades with Ubisoft, the French video game publishers behind popular titles such as Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and Prince of Persia.
Theler also established Ubisoft’s Abu Dhabi studios in 2011 after being part of the executive team at the company’s Chinese headquarters in Shanghai.
While creating new teams is his speciality, the Swiss citizen says the Saudi project dwarfs past experiences in terms of ambition and potential impact.
“Here we are talking about contributing to a bigger project for the kingdom,” he tells The National.
“That is different because it comes with a big responsibility. While we want to create profitable games we are aware that there is a bigger goal we are all heading towards.
“For someone that has been in the industry for a long time it’s a great feeling because you know your work is making a difference.”
A masterplan
Steer Studios is part of Savvy Games Group, which is owned by the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund.
Launched in 2022, the parent company reportedly plans to invest 142 billion riyals ($38 billion) as part of a strategy to transform Saudi Arabia into one of the world's gaming hubs.
Such an approach involves acquiring and investing in leading game publishers as well as establishing Steer Studios, the kingdom’s first international gaming studio.
While the strategy is already in full swing with July’s $4.9 billion acquisition of US games publisher Scopely, home to big sellers Star Trek Fleet Command and The Walking Dead: Road to Survival, Theler says Steer Studios will bear its own original fruit in the long term.
“Creating a successful video game, in any region, takes time,” he says.
"It normally takes five years to create a console game because there are more aspects to it, like building a whole new open world to the game as well as the texture – the details and graphics that make up the gaming landscape.
"A strong and successful mobile game can also take about three to five years.
“We do want to work faster but that's the reality. Creating the games that are popular and that we love is complex.”
That process is already under way, says Steer Studio vice president of production and former Ubisoft veteran Peeyush Gulati.
He is confident the company can soft launch its first official mobile game before the end of the year with a global release in the first quarter of 2024.
In the meantime, the road to the release date will be full of trial and error, feedback and healthy criticism.
"We are also building expertise here within the staff so a lot of what we first do is training," he tells The National.
"They are not theoretical but gaming oriented and similar to hackathons. There is coding and really producing stuff where by the end of a three-month period I have a game that we created and which we analyse."
Gaining the knowledge
An integral part of that process is the company's vice president of marketing, Gil Grandjean.
He admits it’s not usual practice for “the marketing guy” to be involved in the game-creation process and Steer Studios is a chance to change some industry misconceptions.
"We do need to work together more and be on the same page and we have a chance here in Riyadh to do things properly from the beginning,” he says.
“Because as well as the technical aspects, the recipe for a great game is to find that balance between it eliciting emotions and being fun.
"Also, creating a game requires a certain level of humility because if we have to kill a particular idea because it doesn't meet the expectations of a target audience, then it will be understood.
“So we provide training for staff here because we feel that consumer and market knowledge will be ultimately beneficial.”
Senior designer Ahmad Zabarah, 43, says such forward-thinking approaches convinced him to return to Riyadh after 20 years in the US where he worked for leading gaming companies Electronic Art and BioWare.
"It is as if I never left the US in terms of the working and collaborative culture," the Saudi designer says.
"And, to be honest, this is something that I have been seeing here in Saudi over the last few years and it really drove me to come back with my family and work here.
“To work in a professional gaming company in Saudi was something I never expected, and it just makes me extra proud.”
Saudi 3D artist Kholoud Maarof, 21, one of more than a dozen women who comprise 25 per cent of Steer Studio's staff, says the future is bright for the Saudi gaming industry because in future local talent will be in it to win it.
"I do feel we have the potential to do something amazing with gaming here in Saudi Arabia and create something we can offer the world," she says.
"We are in the heart of the Middle East and a large part of the Saudi population, people like me, have grown up with gaming and that will always be with us.
“When I entered the gaming industry I didn’t view myself as another employee, but as a gamer. This is a big difference and it gives me all the enthusiasm I need every day.”
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday
Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm kick-off UAE)
Bayer Leverkusen v Schalke (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Cologne (5.30pm)
Mainz v Arminia Bielefeld (5.30pm)
Augsburg v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Bayern Munich (8.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Freiburg (10.30pm)
Sunday
VfB Stuttgart v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Union Berlin v Hertha Berlin (8pm)
if you go
It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus
To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.
The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.
SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.
But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
More coverage from the Future Forum
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Tom Fletcher on 'soft power'
AT%20A%20GLANCE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWindfall%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAn%20%E2%80%9Cenergy%20profits%20levy%E2%80%9D%20to%20raise%20about%20%C2%A35%20billion%20in%20a%20year.%20The%20temporary%20one-off%20tax%20will%20hit%20oil%20and%20gas%20firms%20by%2025%20per%20cent%20on%20extraordinary%20profits.%20An%2080%20per%20cent%20investment%20allowance%20should%20calm%20Conservative%20nerves%20that%20the%20move%20will%20dent%20North%20Sea%20firms%E2%80%99%20investment%20to%20save%20them%2091p%20for%20every%20%C2%A31%20they%20spend.%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EA%20universal%20grant%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EEnergy%20bills%20discount%2C%20which%20was%20effectively%20a%20%C2%A3200%20loan%2C%20has%20doubled%20to%20a%20%C2%A3400%20discount%20on%20bills%20for%20all%20households%20from%20October%20that%20will%20not%20need%20to%20be%20paid%20back.%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETargeted%20measures%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMore%20than%20eight%20million%20of%20the%20lowest%20income%20households%20will%20receive%20a%20%C2%A3650%20one-off%20payment.%20It%20will%20apply%20to%20households%20on%20Universal%20Credit%2C%20Tax%20Credits%2C%20Pension%20Credit%20and%20legacy%20benefits.%3Cbr%3ESeparate%20one-off%20payments%20of%20%C2%A3300%20will%20go%20to%20pensioners%20and%20%C2%A3150%20for%20those%20receiving%20disability%20benefits.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Brief scoreline:
Tottenham 1
Son 78'
Manchester City 0
