Games Majlis: Uniting MENA’s Mobile Gaming Community
What Is Games Majlis and Why Now?
Games Majlis was unveiled in early 2025 by Games Ventures. As Games Ventures founder Mohamed El Sheakh explains, there was a missing “executive community” for MENA gaming; people knew each other individually but “weren’t connected under one roof”. Games Majlis fills that gap. It’s comprised of 20+ founding members (industry executives from the Gulf, Europe, and beyond) and promises regular events.
This matters now because the MENA mobile game market is exploding. In 2023, Saudi, the UAE, and Egypt alone generated $1.92 billion in game revenues; analysts expect roughly $2.9 billion by 2028. Mobile phones dominate gaming here (87.2% of MENA gamers play on smartphones). With numbers like that and a young, tech-savvy population, industry leaders see a once-unrealized opportunity. Games Majlis is intended to help MENA go from a passive market to a global hub of game creators and investors.
Founders and Key People
At the helm is Mohamed El Sheakh, Games Ventures’ founder, who has worked with the likes of Apple/Microsoft. With 20+ years in tech, and built Games Ventures specifically to grow the MENA mobile gaming ecosystem. In addition to this, Games Majlis’ founding members include roughly 20 industry veterans from around the world. For example: Hussam Hammo (CEO of Tamatem Games, Abu Dhabi), Ali Farha (Star Stable Entertainment, Stockholm), Matt Dalio (Endless, Abu Dhabi), Sezer Degirmenbasi (ByteDance – Bytedance, Dubai), and Digital Dunes CEO MJ Fahmi (Doha), among others. These executives span game publishing, venture capital, tech platforms (Huawei, Bytedance), and game development. Many are alumni of big names like Nokia, Apple, or Tencent, now investing their experience in the region.
Scale and Vision
Even at launch, Games Majlis is impressive in scale. 20 founding members were announced in January 2025, and more are expected to join as word spreads. The first in-person meetup took place at Riyadh’s LEAP technology expo (Feb 2025). Another session followed in Dubai’s Game Expo in early 2025. Games Majlis plans regular gatherings across the region to keep discussions going.
The vision is global as well: by bridging Middle Eastern developers and investors with experts from Europe, North America, and Asia, Games Majlis aims to fast-track MENA’s know-how. Founder Mohamed El Sheakh believes that “global expertise” is needed to unlock the region’s “untapped potential in gaming innovation”. In practical terms, Games Majlis will host workshops on topics like game design, monetization, and marketing; encourage mentorship between experienced and emerging studios. The goal is to accelerate local talent development, bring new investment dollars, and help talented MENA game creators reach worldwide audiences.
Digital Dunes’ Role in the Launch
The co-founders, brothers MJ and AJ Fahmi, attended the launch and publicly celebrated it. Digital Dunes sees Games Majlis as a perfect match for its 12+ year vision of elevating local gaming. As the company explained, joining Games Majlis lets them “strengthen industry collaboration”, “accelerate technological advancements” in areas like AI and cloud gaming, and better support Arab game creators looking to go global.
Digital Dunes’ involvement means Qatar, not traditionally known as a gaming powerhouse, has a voice at the table. It reflects the organization’s belief that all MENA countries should unify their efforts.