Mobile game company Sandsoft announced the opening of Sandsoft Riyadh, a mobile games development studio based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Sandsoft Riyadh will serve as the world headquarters for the company, which has offices in Spain, Finland, and China.
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Sandsoft has an experienced team headed by CEO David Fernandez, an ex-King veteran who helped expand Candy Crush and Bubble Witch IPs, and Trip Hawkins, Founder of Electronic Arts, as an advisor.
Ryadh Studio is the first step in Sandsoft’s major investment in the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) gaming ecosystem and will create 80 career opportunities.
Yahsir Qureshi, who was most recently building FIFA’s Ultimate Team at EA, has been appointed as the Head of the Studio. The Riyadh studio will utilize its paid internship program, Press Start to nurture local talent. This program will allow a select group of game creators to develop their games with the support and resources of Sandsoft organization.
David Fernandez, CEO at Sandsoft, commented:
“We have established a world-class mobile gaming team that’s poised to position Sandsoft as the premier MENA games company, and we’re excited to be expanding our local footprint. A key mission is to discover and attract the best and brightest local game development talent, and to nurture it with the expertise of leaders from gaming’s top international firms.”
Sandsoft, founded by Ajlan & Bros Holding in 2020, has recently invested in major IP-linked mobile titles, including Rambo: Strike Force and Pacific Rim: Breach Wars, and has started to invest significantly into new and emerging technologies and projects in the gaming space such as blockchain.
