Ammon News - Krafton, the maker of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, led an $11 million investment round in Amman, Jordan-based Tamatem Games.

Tamatem Games focuses on publishing games for the Arabic-speaking market and its titles have had more than 100 million downloads to date.

Other investors included Venture Souq, Endeavor Catalyst, and existing investors.

With the investment in play and following its previous publishing successes, Tamatem plans on amplifying its efforts even further by bringing a wider selection of games with bigger and more popular titles to the Arabic-speaking market. Tamatem has 75 employees and it focuses on publishing games made by external developers.

“The demand for relatable and enjoyable mobile games is higher than ever and our mission is to provide our region with the best gaming
experience possible,” said CEO and founder Hussam Hammo, in a statement.

The publisher will also expand its offices in Saudi Arabia to hire local Saudi talent and have a stronger foothold in the country that harbors 70% of its users. Alongside its expansion efforts in Saudi Arabia, Tamatem also plans to expand into more countries in the region. Plans of
launching a gaming academy to train, educate and elevate employment in the industry are also on the horizon for Tamatem in pursuit of pushing market growth and maturity.

“Big things are happening for the mobile games industry in the region, we are reaping the rewards of our past successes and pushing forward with more experience and more grit,” said Hammo. “We are at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the massive potential of mobile games in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) and I am always super elevated when more people invest in the industry and the region.”

The company has raised over $17 million in funding since its establishment in 2013. It has more than 50 published games and a million monthly active users.

“We see huge potential in the MENA region and are happy to have started our investment journey here with a prolific publisher like Tamatem,” said Anuj Tandon, head of corporate development for India and MENA at Krafton, in a statement. “We are committed to the MENA region and willing to take more bets in the overall media and entertainment sector, and this investment is aligned with our efforts to strengthen our commitment to the startup ecosystem. This is just the beginning of our many investments in this region.”