Dubai’s Films and Games Commission is doubling down on its Xsolla partnership, announcing an accelerator programme set to launch this October.
The initiative, unveiled at Dubai’s pavilion during Gamescom 2026 in Cologne, will make Dubai home to only the second permanent Xsolla Club in the world, giving local, regional and international developers direct access to Xsolla’s accelerator team and global network of resources.
The announcement builds on a partnership that began last year as a memorandum of understanding to explore opportunities, and has since expanded into high-level networking events, market reports and now the accelerator deal. The partnership was announced alongside Xsolla’s Berkley Egenes and Rytis Joseph Jan.
Dubai’s gaming sector has grown to 495 companies, a 34.5% increase over two years, according to figures released by the Dubai Films and Games Commission (DGFC) in a press release. The agency is targeting roughly 30,000 gaming-sector jobs and close to $1 billion added to Dubai’s GDP by 2033, part of its Dubai Program for Gaming 2033 initiative to place the emirate among the world’s top 10 gaming destinations.
Hesham Al Olama, CEO of the Media Development Sector at Dubai Media Council, said Dubai “intends to establish itself as a hub the games industry can’t ignore,” pointing to the network built around the emirate’s Gamescom presence as evidence of that broader strategic push.
Faisal Kazim, Games Commissioner at DFGC, framed the effort in broader terms, saying the agency views games as more than entertainment: a medium capable of imparting knowledge, building careers and connecting people who might never otherwise meet.
The DFGC, established in 2024 under Dubai Media Council, runs the GameForward accelerator, an eight-week programme operated by Dubai SME in partnership with Dubai Culture and Arts Authority that helps Emirati creators develop commercially viable game studios. One of this year’s Gamescom exhibitors, Old Chair Games, came up through that programme.
Dubai’s pavilion at Gamescom was its largest to date, featuring more than 10 showcases and a live stage for panels and fireside chats. Exhibiting studios included Thera Interactive, Dark Emerald, Old Chair Games, Exscape, Playgama, Yalla Group and Foxrito Studios, spanning genres from MMO to horror. Playgama used the event to mark 350 million gaming sessions on YouTube Playables.
The pavilion’s stage also hosted Robert Steen, father of the late Mats Steen — known in the World of Warcraft community as Ibelin — who spoke about the communities his son built that continue on after his death.
The Good Game Club podcast, which covers the social impact of games, also announced it is relocating to Dubai, bringing its coverage inside the ecosystem it has reported on.
The Xsolla accelerator’s October launch will be the next concrete test of whether Dubai’s infrastructure push translates into a durable, lasting foothold in game development and publishing for the broader MENA region.