With the rising popularity of story-focused games, high-quality graphics and complex storylines have become something of a phenomenon – so why do some mobile games still have low-res graphics? Why are some mobile games incredibly simple and easy to play yet still so popular?

Although we’re big fans of story-focused mobile games, we’re fascinated by the power of hyper-casual mobile games and their popularity. You would think that lower quality and simpler design in a mobile game would make it more likely to be undesirable. Interestingly enough, some of the most popular mobile games ever made are the simplest.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss why hyper-casual mobile games can be just as successful as their high-quality, hyper-realistic, plot-heavy counterparts.

Simplicity

Usually, what makes hyper-casual mobile games stand out more than anything else is their simplicity. Simple mobile games offer more accessibility in terms of skill level, meaning you don’t have to be a professional gamer in order to enjoy the game right from the get-go. Once you get comfortable with the main moves required to play, it quickly becomes an enjoyable and, in some cases, highly addictive mobile game.

When a mobile game is simple it becomes a great time-passer, even if the graphics are subpar. Think of playing Snake on an old mobile phone – there’s no denying how simple yet addicting it is. Despite it’s low-res graphics, the game is still widely played on lower-end mobile phones meaning that it has managed to preserve its longevity quite well despite its in-your-face simplicity.

Gameplay

In a nutshell, gameplay is the way you interact with a game. Just like any website or app would have user experience (UX), gameplay is known as the experience of a game, how players play it and how they feel while doing so. This can include the plot, mechanics, game rules, and any other elements that make up the game.

Engaging gameplay is a large defining factor in how a mobile game performs. When a hyper-casual mobile game is hugely successful, chances are it has impressive gameplay that creates a can’t-put-your-phone-down feeling when playing a mobile game. Gameplay doesn’t have to be extensive and sophisticated, it just needs to create an ebb and flow that connects the player to the game on a deep level – some sort of bliss point between easy yet challenging enough.

Free-to-play

Since a lot of hyper-casual mobile games are low-budget, many of them are published with a free-to-play model. Free-to-play offers wider accessibility, meaning the game can tap into a larger audience of players. Being available to practically anyone with a smartphone makes hyper-casual mobile games have a higher chance at gaining popularity.

Accidental Success

Creating a successful mobile game can be a hit or miss and, many a time, even the game developers themselves aren’t aware of how the response to their game will be. That’s why, with hyper-casual mobile games, extreme success can sometimes be completely accidental.

In some ways, that’s the beauty of the mobile games industry – in others, it can be a double-edged sword. Even the perfect recipe for a successful mobile game can sometimes land wrong, especially for new mobile game developers.

If you’re a mobile game developer entering the market, consider partnering with a top mobile games publisher. Partnering with Tamatem Games can boost your readiness to go to market in the MENA region and help you strategize when it comes to launch strategy, marketing, data analytics and more.

Mobile gaming has shown tremendous growth across emerging markets over past years, with the MENA region straight ahead at the forefront. Now more than ever, mobile has evidently taken over the region and it’s here to stay. Forecasts show that the MENA mobile gaming market is predicted to maintain its multi-billion dollar revenue for years to come, making it an investment opportunity worth keeping an eye on. 

In an effort to take a closer look at mobile gaming in MENA, this blog post will give you a quantifiable look at the market while breaking down some elements that make it a high-growth region with large potential.

Market Size & Demographic

The MENA region is uniquely opportune – with a population of over 400 million, it boasts an attractive market size. About half of the MENA population is aged under 25, making its mobile game market potential powerful and unwavering. In addition, around 50% of the region has internet access which results in a viable market demographic with high potential for acquirable users.

Showing the highest year-over-year growth among emerging markets, like Latin America and Asia Pacific, in the mobile space, the MENA region has proven to be a worthy contender for mobile game developers’ next best investment. 

An Unsaturated Marketplace

Not only does MENA have a generous market size and a suitable demographic, but it’s also extremely unsaturated. With the scarce supply of high-quality Arabic mobile games and large demand for more and more mobile entertainment, the MENA market is largely untapped. That, combined with the growing internet adoption rate and the young age of average mobile gamers makes MENA the ideal market. 

Smartphone penetration rates are on the rise, meaning that the market will naturally show an increase in demand for mobile games catered to the region. MENA’s unsaturated marketplace means that mobile game developers should set their sights on expanding into the region via localization. 

MENA Mobile Games: What Works?

Considering that the majority of MENA uses Arabic as their default language, the market is a localization gold mine waiting to be tapped into. Seeing as the region is significantly culture-oriented, Arabic mobile games are adopted fast and retained strongly. Mobile games that use the Arabic language along with cultural isms and elements tend to perform well. 

As for pricing models, free-to-play mobile games are showing great promise and potential for growth. With that in mind, in-app monetization is an incredibly viable avenue since the Gulf has unparalleled purchasing power. 

Another prevalent trend that has picked up throughout MENA mobile games is social mobile gaming. Games like VIP Baloot and VIP Jalsat are good examples of how socially driven mobile games are successful in the region. This can also be a testament to the power of localization since card games are a huge part of the culture in MENA.

What’s Next For MENA Mobile Gaming

In a nutshell, mobile gaming in the MENA region is a force to be reckoned with and an investment area to capitalize on. With current market trends to show so and forecasts predicting a growth-centric future, we believe more global developers will look to target the MENA mobile gamer. 

If you’re a mobile games developer with an interest to expand into the region, consider partnering with a top mobile games publisher to lead your localization efforts. Tamatem’s team of seasoned translators, marketers, data analysts,, and developers make for a mobile game publishing powerhouse with an impressive track record.

To some extent or another, we all personally know the power of a great mobile game. Whether you’re hooked yourself or you know somebody who is, there’s no denying that mobile games are entertaining for everyone. But the billion-dollar question, quite literally, is: what really makes a great mobile game? 

The mobile gaming space is synonymous with many blockbusting success stories that it’s become intriguing to try and figure out the secret behind what it takes to make a great mobile game. Being a multi-billion dollar industry, the mobile market is swarming with games, which makes it difficult to part the bad from the good and the good from the great.

In this post, we’ll break down the fundamental elements behind what makes a great mobile game. Let’s jump right in!

An Experience Rooted In Emotion

Also known as “gameplay”, the experience behind enjoying a mobile game truly comes down to feeling a certain way while playing. Great mobile games touch on emotions to create a memorable and addicting experience for the player. Think of the simple emotions or feelings behind a mobile game you love playing and try to identify the specific elements that bring those feelings about. 

Whether that involves a repetitive aspect, a soothing sound, a relatable character, or a social factor, the emotion-inducing elements of a great mobile game make players feel fulfilled while playing. 

High-Quality Graphics

While this one seems like a no-brainer in today’s world, you’d be surprised at just how many mobile game developers put their graphics last. Even though a low definition, retro aesthetic could work for some mobile games, it can be off-putting when the graphics are just plain bad. 

This is especially true for social mobile games with characters that are meant to look and act lifelike. The quality of a mobile game’s graphics can truly elevate the experience or simply ruin it all together, so this element is key to a mobile game’s success.

Simplicity

For the most part, mobile game players enjoy simple games. Whether the mobile game mimics a real-life card game they already know or brings forward a totally new concept, players tend to gravitate towards and appreciate simplicity. 

Mobile games are made for on-the-go, time-passing playing, so it makes sense that simple games perform well. However, simplicity in game design means that the game is simple to learn and get into, but it certainly does not mean that the game is easy. Simplicity means that the baseline requirements on the player’s part are simple and straightforward, and as the levels get higher the simplicity is still there but the game becomes harder to master.

Incentives

Rewards are a hugely motivating factor when it comes to practically anything, and mobile games are no different. The feeling you get when you earn a reward is incentivizing, both in the long run and in the short term. When designing a great mobile game, the reward system must be rooted in psychology in order to give players what they want.

While rewards come in different forms, they motivate players not only to keep playing but to play better. Some examples of incentivizing rewards in mobile games are rank, currency, newness (unlocking new players or levels), power boosts, and more. A great mobile game tows the line between making the player feel rewarded but also like they’ve worked hard to earn that reward.

Depth

Depth in mobile games can sound contradictory to simplicity, however, they go hand in hand in creating compelling gameplay. A great mobile game must have some sort of depth to it; a certain element that gives the player more than what meets the eye. This can be in the form of a narrative that is slowly uncovered in parallel with levels, or it can also be more technical in the sense of having in-game social functionalities between players. 

Relatedness

The feeling of relating to a game – whether it’s to the actions required in the game or to a specific character – is extremely appealing. The relatable factor behind a mobile game can create a feeling of familiarity between the player and the game, which makes for longevity. It creates a bond between game and player that builds foundational loyalty. 

However, making sure mobile game players feel like they relate can sometimes be a matter of localizing your mobile game. At Tamatem, we take great mobile games and build on their greatness by localizing them to cater to MENA players. Localization is an effective way to ensure that different audiences relate to a mobile game.

Ultimately, creating a great mobile game comes down to balance – it’s a matter of finding that bliss point where elements of the game are in sync in creating an enjoyable experience. Too much of anything, like too much simplicity, will make the game unexciting and challenge-lacking. Too little of anything, like very few rewards, will make the game feel too challenging and impossible to master. 

A great mobile game requires intricate attention to these elements in order to create a long-lasting, captivating experience for the player. Long story short, making a great mobile game is truly a fun game of its own.

Developing a profitable mobile game is no walk in the park – it takes time, resources, market research, UX design, and the list goes on. Even once your game is developed and released, you need to carefully assess the steps to take in order to ensure its longevity. Investing in aspects like marketing strategy, user acquisition, and in-app monetization can boost your game’s long-term profitability and success.

But let’s say that, as a game developer, you’ve done all the right steps and checked off all the strategic boxes, and you’ve got yourself a massively successful mobile game. At that point, multiplying your game’s success, popularity and profit margins calls for bigger moves. Large-scale global expansion opportunities for your already-successful mobile game can be highly rewarding when done right.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss how mobile game developers can expand their game’s success and reach by entering new markets like MENA. We’ll dive into what the process looks like and what to watch out for, while giving you some insight on how Tamatem comes in.

Why Expand Your Mobile Game’s Reach Internationally

The success of a mobile game is measured in metrics like number of downloads, monthly active users, retention rate, and so on. As your game hits certain milestones, it becomes a never-ending race to hit the next one and the one after that. At a certain point, the continued large-scale success of your mobile game becomes a matter of international expansion.

Mobile gaming is a massive global industry with many international markets left untapped. With that said, it’s important to carry out extensive research on different regions, their market size and scalability before expanding your mobile game internationally.  

Looking at the MENA mobile games market, it’s important to weigh out all the factors that make it a ripe entry point for expansion opportunities. Expected to hit $6 billion in 2021, there’s no doubt that the market is on the rise. As an emerging market, the region has high scalability opportunities especially when you consider how underserved the Arabic language is. However, entering an unfamiliar international market, like MENA, without strategy, can come with high barriers to entry and large risk. 

Do’s And Don’ts Of Entering A New Market

In order to enter a new market and take advantage of a potentially lucrative expansion opportunity, mobile game developers must plan strategically. Bringing a mobile game to market the second time around shouldn’t be taken lightly, so here are some do’s and don’ts for entering a new market without undermining the success of your mobile game: 

Don’t…

• Make the expansion without a plan

Expanding into a new market, especially an international one with different barriers to entry (eg. language), must be planned out. Don’t underestimate the power of market research and a thoroughly planned go-to market strategy that considers your new target audience’s needs.

• Enter on your own

Entering a new market on your own can be a recipe for disaster. Although you’ve already proven your success as a game developer in your own market, don’t be closed to the idea of partnering with a local games publisher in the new region you plan to enter. 

• Use the same strategies

Using the same strategies you did in your original market might not work for your mobile game in the new market. Do not stick to the exact same marketing strategies, in-app incentivization strategies or launch strategies you implemented when releasing your game locally. Even if you do have a great mobile game on your hands, your entry strategies could make or break it.

Do…

• Choose your new market wisely

Focus on choosing an international market that is ready and growing. For example, the MENA mobile games market is a great option to expand to because of its high growth and high mobile game adoption rate. The market is not yet saturated, it’s still emerging and it’s filled with opportunity.

• Focus on localization and be open to changes

When entering a new market, you must focus on localizing your mobile game to cater to your new audience to the best of your abilities. Expanding your mobile game into an international market comes with new considerations like language, culture, religious factors, and so on. In order to make sure your mobile game is easily understood and adopted by your new audience, you should be open to making the necessary changes to localize it successfully.

• Partner with the right mobile games publisher

Localizing and publishing your mobile game in a new market is done best when you partner with a top local game publisher. Partnering with the right mobile games publisher will give you access to market insights, high quality translation, local marketing experts, and more. Having a publishing partner will take a huge load of pressure off your team and set you on the right track to successfully penetrating a new, profitable market.

Tamatem And Game Developers: How It Works

At Tamatem, we’re big backers of localization. Instead of focusing all efforts on developing our own mobile games, we’ve recognized the opportunity in localizing and publishing already-successful games. Once we decide to partner with a mobile games developer on publishing their game in the MENA market, our team kicks off an extensive process. With the best industry experts in the region, we carry out 360° localization to ensure your game becomes suitable for the market. From there, we implement data-backed market research to build out a top-notch go-to market strategy catered to your game. With aggressive marketing and large-scale user acquisition strategies, Tamatem is guaranteed to push your already-successful mobile game to new heights.

If you’re a mobile games developer interested in penetrating the profitable and opportune MENA market, Tamatem is the partner for you.  

The evolution of Tamatem has consisted of hard work, perseverance, unity, and lots of outside-the-box thinking across our teams. There’s no doubt that each team at Tamatem has gone through its own growth and development that has contributed immensely to our collective success. 

Throughout this ongoing series, we’ll explore the ins and outs of different teams at Tamatem. To give you a behind-the-scenes taste of each team’s secret sauce, we will feature awesome Tamatem team members who candidly share their insight and experience. 

As such, this article features Lamia Shreim; our all around remarkable Marketing Manager, passionate and driven team player, and highly valued Tamatem family member. Drawing from her impressive track record, Lamia shares the best practices and systems that shape her team. 

Inside Tamatem’s Marketing Team

At Tamatem, we take pride in our tried and true strategy of localizing mobile games for the MENA region. Successfully publishing a localized mobile game is a multi-dimensional process that is very much contingent on vigorous marketing and user acquisition strategies. 

Led by Lamia, the team ensures that Tamatem puts a strong leg forward when it comes to marketing our localized mobile games. Over the past 6 years, Lamia has spearheaded the growth and development of Tamatem’s world class marketing team. The team has gone from one person managing monetization and user acquisition, to over 20 talented team members who collectively make up a full-stack, superpowered, 360° marketing force. 

To give a quick look at Tamatem’s Marketing department from an operational standpoint, it’s important to note that the team is distributed across a range of sub departments, outlined as: 

• Data Analytics
• User Acquisition
• Influencer Marketing
• Social Media 
• Multimedia
• App Store Optimization
• Search Engine Optimization
• Growth Marketing

“Each division is unique in its own way, contributing to the overall success of the whole department. For example, Performance Marketing efforts focus on A/B testing to maximize ad monetization. Social Media Marketing ensures our strong presence across distributed channels. Data Analytics plays an unmatched role in compounding insights and building number-backed strategies”, shares Lamia.

Lamia reiterates that, while each of the sub departments has its own area of focus, the team, as a whole, operates with a tight-knit culture that places collective growth at the center. 

Company-Wide Collaboration

The Marketing team has a strong interdepartmental presence at Tamatem, crossing over to work with different teams to achieve different goals. “We maintain communication with pretty much every team at Tamatem, but we mainly cross over to work with Product, Design, Finance and Support”, says Lamia. 

“For example, the Marketing team works with the Product team to find qualified, high-conversion users for our games. The teams work together to analyze game metrics and ensure their health, in addition to enhancing user retention. Meanwhile, our work with the Design team consists of ensuring app-store optimization and effective in-game promotions that increase organic traffic and convert non-spenders to spenders.” 

The Marketing team’s collaboration with different departments across Tamatem’s ecosystem is testament to the importance of enabling teams to capitalize on each others’ strengths. Our philosophy is rooted in growing stronger and moving farther, together. 

Systems For Success & Best Practices

A key ingredient to the Marketing team’s secret sauce is systemized processes, both in the day-to-day and on the macro-level. In order to ensure that the team works at its optimum level, Lamia places overarching priority on making sure that the team is happy and motivated. As Marketing Manager at Tamatem, her systems for success include: 

• Daily morning meetings with the team to kickstart the day.
• Weekly 1-on-1 meetings to check in with team members individually. 
• A bi-weekly “game of the week” sync where the team plays, discusses and analyzes a trending mobile game in its entirety.
• Monthly brainstorming sessions where the team shares unfiltered new thoughts and ideas.
• Strategic monthly meetings to assess user acquisition campaigns and explore room for more scalability.
• Quarterly marketing strategy meetings that emphasize OKRs and touch on what can be done to optimize the team’s performance.
• Regularly-conducted surveys to gather constructive feedback from the team.

In order to make sure that the team is always on the same page, each task is documented and every project is tracked from start to finish. The team uses a handful of tools that make this possible, specifically Slack, Asana, Zoom, and Miro. 

Lamia gives us insight on what each tool is used for as follows:

• Slack: sharing quick updates, questions, concerns, new ideas and recaps of articles/webinars/reports/courses that are happening.
• Asana: organizing tasks, highlighting deadlines, outlining project progress and keeping track of what other team members are working on.
• Zoom: conducting meetings – it’s the tool that has brought everyone together during work-from-home.
• Miro: the gate-keeper that aligns all ideas gathered during brainstorming and retrospective meetings.

Managerial Insight 

As manager of Tamatem’s Marketing team, Lamia continuously hacks the challenges of a fast-paced environment while remaining empathetic and people-oriented in her role. “I strive to facilitate a dynamic and creative work environment that encourages the team to continuously engage in learning and development”. 

To outline the foundation behind Lamia’s managerial style, we asked for her non-negotiable team leadership elements that ensure success: 

• Building team trust: “I believe in trusting my team so that they are able to have trust in me too. This creates synergy that empowers each member of the team to make effective decisions, backed by confidence and courage.” 
• Clear communication: “‘Teamwork makes the dream work’ is our motto, and clear communication is a key aspect in achieving true teamwork. Being transparent and honest creates a productive and genuine work environment.”
• A collective team vision: “We focus on our values and objectives, on identifying our strengths and weaknesses while assessing potential opportunities and threats that could arise. Having a collective team vision rooted in our values and objectives is key to driving our growth in the right direction.” 
• Valuing individuality: “I am a firm believer that growth is achieved only when everyone around you is growing. With that said, facilitating an environment that celebrates creativity and individuality allows each team member to be open towards testing new, sometimes risky but rewarding ideas.”

Joining The Tamatem Team: Insider Tips

To wrap up, Lamia shares her insight on working at Tamatem, as well as what it takes to join the Tamatem team. 

“I enjoy everything about my role – from my job, to the company culture, to the overall company strategy. I’m so happy to have embarked on such a journey that combines the field of gaming with the field of marketing. Years on, I still continue to grow and develop every single day at Tamatem.”

Lamia gives her honest outlook when it comes to hiring at Tamatem and what attributes are valued most:

“I can honestly say that the interview stage tells me a lot about a candidate. Having passion for the position, for Tamatem, and for the industry as a whole, is key. Other than experience and skills, positive energy and being a team player are attributes we value here at Tamatem. Creativity and analytical skills are very important to us as well. My tip for anyone looking to join us in the future is to show us that you have passion.” 

The Tamatem family is always growing – we’re constantly on the lookout for passionate, talented individuals to join our team and take part in our growth as the biggest mobile game publisher in the MENA. Check out our Careers page to learn more about open positions!

As we enter the Holy month of Ramadan this year, we’re reminded once again of the massive shift that the pandemic has caused. Once synonymous with nightly gatherings, festive outings, and meals shared with friends and family, Ramadan this year will be significantly less social. However, taking a quick look back at the past year or so, our entire idea of socializing has already been morphed and reimagined. 

With limitations in place, we’ve seen many resort to the world of mobile gaming to fill their time. While we know that the pandemic has caused a massive uptick in mobile gaming in general, it’s worth noting that social mobile games have taken on a life of their own during this time. 

In this article, we’ll discuss how social gaming has become a phenomenon during this socially distanced time. We’ll dive into why social mobile games have become a lifeline for many, while exploring some of Tamatem’s top games as prime examples.

A Safe Way To Socialize

It goes without saying that people have had to restructure their free time and their socializing habits. Stay-at-home orders, masks, and 6 feet apart regulations have heavily limited any social interactions that are permitted. Enter mobile games – mobile games have made way for a safe, entertaining way to pass time while also socializing.

The pandemic has been a catalyst for a social takeover in mobile games. With features like chats and video calls, and character design capabilities, a social gaming evolution is underway. We’re starting to see more and more games that center around social activities, such as shopping or playing cards, that would otherwise take place in person. 

Sweet Escape From Everyday Life

Social mobile games have become a sweet escape from mundane everyday life. In a time where much of the world’s current events are discouraging, escapism is much needed. Unlike other games, social mobile games offer stimulation that goes beyond mindless time passing. 

With multidimensional levels, options to invite friends and virtual spaces that feel like real-life social communities, social mobile gaming offers the sweetness of social interaction right at your fingertips.

Consistency In An Unpredictable World

Social mobile games have taken the shape of a reliable and consistent social network. Much like outings with friends after school or catch-up dinners after work, social games have taken on the taste of social relief that we’re all craving. 

The feeling of safety, fun, and stimulation with friends is like no other – social mobile games make that feeling even more accessible and consistent. No matter what time of day you log on to play, your game is there just as you left it, readily available for you to enjoy with your real life friends. 

Tamatem’s Social Games: Fashion Queen, VIP Baloot & VIP Jalsat

Even prior to the pandemic, Tamatem has been a champion of social mobile gaming. Be it socialized gaming or gamified socialization, the impact of combining mobile games with a social layer is powerful beyond measure. 

Currently, in the socially distanced world we live in, social mobile games are more important than ever in rerouting our unmet need for social interaction. For example, in the MENA region specifically, card games are a huge part of social life and even more so during Ramadan. VIP Baloot and VIP Jalsat are social mobile game platforms that enable players to take part in the card games they love, with their real life friends, all from the comfort and safety of home. 

Similarly, Fashion Queen caters to players who appreciate the social aspect of a game. The game, localized for the MENA region, enables players to embark on a journey to become a Hollywood star. With features like character building and in-game socialization, Fashion Queen has become a stand-out social mobile game in the region. 

All three games have seen major increases in popularity and engagement during this time, making them go-to social outlets for MENA region gamers craving social interaction. To conclude, social mobile games have never been more important than they are now. The need for high quality, culturally relevant, socially powered games is undeniable. While the pandemic is not permanent, a social take on mobile gaming is definitely here to stay. 

Tamatem’s entry point into the MENA mobile games market was localization and its power to yield loyalty. Years later, as an industry veteran, Tamatem is widely regarded as an expert in mobile game localization done right.

Localization paves grounds for your mobile games to be more inclusive to different demographics, regions and cultures. It’s also a great tactic for maneuvering into wider, highly profitable markets that can prove valuable. Mobile game developers must keep in mind the opportunity that comes with localization, but also the large responsibility to do it right. 

In this article, we’ll provide a simplified guide for mobile game localization. With a “Mobile Game Localization for Dummies” sort of approach, we’ll cover:

• A Simple Definition of Localization & Some Elements
• The Benefits of Localizing Mobile Games
• Tamatem Localization Insight: Who, What, Where & Why
• Localizing for the MENA Mobile Games Market

What is Localization? 

A textbook definition of localization describes it as: 

“the process of making a product or service more suitable for a particular country, area, etc..”

The above definition is true for mobile game localization too. In a nutshell, localization is defined just as it sounds. It involves transforming something to make it more locally suited, relevant and understood. When localizing anything, you must take into account the specific region that your content is targeted at. 

In the context of mobile games, the possibilities for localization are endless so it’s important to take a holistic approach. Simply translating the language of a mobile game is not enough to carry out successful localization. 

When localizing a mobile game, the devil is in the detail. Here are some elements to pay immaculate attention to on your mobile game localization journey:

• Correct translation of the language
• Respectful use of relevant cultural idioms
• Proper spoken accents (applicable to audio)
• Authentic representation (character’s features, wardrobe, etc..)
• Gender inclusivity

Note: Partnering with a local mobile game publisher can help you avoid certain pitfalls such as the perpetuation of stereotypes and the disrespectful use of cultural elements. 

Why Localize Mobile Games?

The mobile games industry is on the rise and it’s here to stay. That being said, many of its emerging markets remain untapped or underserved. While this is largely linked to growth and distribution rates of technology and infrastructure in certain regions, lack of localized content is a prevalent contributor too. 

Many regions, like the MENA, are culture-centric. To cater to regions where people are heavily rooted in their language, culture, and traditions, localization is a golden opportunity. Localizing your mobile games will enable you to enter new markets and maximize your game’s monetization potential. It will also build higher engagement and more prominent customer loyalty. The MENA region on its own is one of the fastest-growing gaming markets, with a value of $4.8 billion. 

Here’s the catch: if done wrong, mobile game localization can undermine your brand. In order to reap all the benefits of localizing your mobile game, you mustn’t take it lightly. Incorrect translations or misrepresentations can alienate you from the market you’re attempting to enter. 

Tamatem & Localization: A Look Into Who, What, Where & Why

As a mobile games publisher penetrating the MENA market, Tamatem took the route of localization. By localizing existing mobile games that were already successful in their own right and making them more relatable to gamers in the region, Tamatem struck gold. That’s not to say that our localization process is a walk in the park – it is carried out with extreme attention to detail and target market context.

When localizing your mobile game, outlining your target market is key. Starting out, it was important for us to clarify our “Who, What, Where & Why” to guide our mission. 

Defining your target market, their pain point and their need for localization can be outlined as shown below:

Who: Arabic-speaking mobile gamers

What: Localized games that properly cater to language, culture, and representation

Where: MENA region

Why: The region is amassed with passionate mobile gamers who are largely underserved and misrepresented. A huge gap in the emerging market prompted Tamatem to publish high quality mobile games that cater to the region’s cultural needs, while increasing access and inclusivity in doing so.

Localizing Mobile Games for the MENA Market

If you’re a developer looking to localize for the MENA market, there’s no doubt that partnering with a local mobile games publisher will take you further by leaps and bounds. 

Localization of mobile games for the MENA region is no easy feat. While one must take into account the region as a whole, the MENA market is made up of many different countries, cultures, and accents that you should be privy to. With that in mind, partnering with a top MENA mobile game publisher is the best and most reliable way to go about localizing your mobile game for the region. 

It’s no secret that the job market, both in MENA and all over the world, is rocky. Unexpectedly losing their jobs and businesses, people have been left with career confusion and challenges. As we plan for post-COVID, many will find themselves pivoting into new careers and industries that have proven resilient. One notable area of potential is the mobile games industry.    

Careers in mobile gaming come with exciting opportunities and stimulating learning curves. In the MENA region, mobile gaming is a high growth market with tons of untapped potential. In this article, we’ll touch on some pressing reasons why you should consider pivoting into a post-COVID career in mobile gaming. In doing so, we’ll also dive into some related Tamatem insights.

The Opportunity To Work In What You Know

Contrary to popular belief, a career in the mobile gaming industry is not exclusive to mobile game aficionados only. Most mobile game companies hire full stack in-house teams to build cross-functional departments that operate under one roof, meaning there’s something for everyone. From marketing to UX to product management, and even HR, the industry hires all kinds of talent. While there will be an onboarding and training period at first, landing a job in mobile gaming using your current expertise is not far off.

Some career opportunities offered by mobile game companies can be unexpected. If you think your current career is completely unrelated to mobile gaming, look twice. For example, being a MENA-centric mobile games publisher, Tamatem focuses on localization efforts. As such, we’re always on the lookout for talented translators who can spearhead our game localization processes. At first thought, translators might not ever consider a career in mobile gaming, but it can be a lucrative opportunity that is specific to existing skills. 

Upbeat, Fast-Paced & High Growth Environments

Regardless of your specialization, a job in the MENA mobile game industry can push your career in many exciting directions – the sky’s the limit. Since the MENA mobile gaming market is still emerging, many game publishers, developers and designers in the region operate with a start-up culture. This makes for fast-paced working environments and high growth-high calibre networking opportunities. 

At Tamatem, we have managed to maintain the upbeat work environment that excites our team and propels our growth to this day. We build interdepartmental systems that allow our team members to dip their fingers in unfamiliar areas. We cultivate our team members’ existing talents while pushing them to learn and explore new ones so that every day is exciting. The nature of the industry will definitely steer you into learning new things you may not have expected to.

An Industry On The Rise

Taking a quick look back at the pandemic’s impact on mobile gaming, it’s safe to say that the industry has proven itself to be resilient. During a time where business losses and closures were the common occurrence, mobile gaming has been on the rise, making it a great job market to enter. Pivoting into a more reliable industry with high growth potential, such as mobile gaming, is more crucial than ever. Looking into industries on the rise will enable those navigating the current job market to make more informed career decisions.

As MENA’s biggest game publisher, we’ve experienced a hiring spurt over the course of the pandemic – that alone is testament to the growth Tamatem saw during the past year or so. We’re always on the hunt for experts in their fields to join our growing team and push forward our mission. If you’re interested in pivoting into an exciting new career, the mobile gaming industry is what you’re looking for.

Over a year into lockdowns and social distancing, the pandemic has made its mark on everyone. COVID-19 has fatally affected individuals and families, near and far. 

Many industries have suffered complete shutdowns, resulting in huge financial losses as well as staggering unemployment rates. COVID-19, with its imposing implications, has driven the downfall of once impenetrable industries. But on the flip side, markets such as mobile gaming have shown stability, growth and even expansion in the face of the pandemic. 

This article will assess COVID-19’s impact on mobile gaming. We’ll cover what we’ve learned at Tamatem during this time and explore how our learnings can be applied moving forward. 

COVID-19 & The Mobile Gaming Industry

Mobile gaming has demonstrated continued growth since the onset of the pandemic. With a huge virtual shift, everything from work, education, and even socializing, has become screen-facilitated. The world’s online presence has never been bigger. That, combined with the spike in time spent at home, has led people to dip into mobile gaming more and more. 

Veteran mobile gamers have shown longer playtime and higher spending since the pandemic. The industry has also seen more newcomers tapping in, with mobile game installs increasing by a reported 45% during this time. Purchasing willingness has increased too, with a reported 67% rise in IAR (in-app revenue) during the first half of 2020. Needless to say, mobile games are providing people with much-needed entertainment and escapism during this time.

Tamatem Throughout The Pandemic: Lessons We’ve Learned

Navigating through the pandemic, Tamatem faced a crucial responsibility to all our stakeholders. We wanted zero layoffs for our employees as well as high-quality service and support for our gamers. We were also adamant about maintaining a positive ROI for our partners and developers.

The MENA region was already a high growth market for mobile games. Once the pandemic hit, Tamatem experienced multiplied growth and increased traffic. The start of lockdowns meant more free time at home, so our downloads and engagement rates started to climb. 

Being in the mobile games industry, we were fortunate enough to be dealing with growth rather than loss during COVID. Yet, we had to make a conscious effort to steer the Tamatem ship through the storm with as much agility as possible. We knew that to navigate the high growth high-pressure period, we needed to support our team before anything. We reassured Tamatem employees that their job was here to stay and that we were in this together. We focused on change management to make the transition to work-from-home feel as seamless as possible.  

As we were experiencing high growth, we had to make sure that we were performing just as high too. Seeing many other industries being forced into let-go’s and layoffs, we capitalized on our growth and poured resources into hiring more talent. Growing our team meant that we could operate better and continue delivering to our customers. It also meant that we could work on more partnerships and make plans for new releases, to take our growth further into 2021. 

Where We Go From Here

Although many things remain uncertain due to COVID, now is the time to plan for post-pandemic recovery. As we continue to take Tamatem to the next level, our growth during this challenging time has taught us some key takeaways for the future:

• Agility is always essential, no matter what industry you’re in
• Maintaining growth during tough times takes teamwork and hard work
• The time to pivot careers and investments towards mobile gaming is now
• It’s important to learn from resilient industries in order to readjust and succeed 
• The future of entertainment is mobile

In order to rebuild, we must apply our learnings to our future decision-making. Our best bet is to learn from and tap into industries, such as mobile gaming, that have proven resilient during this time. If there’s anything we’ve learned, it’s that the mobile gaming industry is as resilient as they come.

The future trajectory for mobile gaming is screaming “onward and upward!”, especially in the MENA region. If you’ve lost your job due to the pandemic, don’t be afraid to be agile. Pivoting into a career in mobile gaming is possible, even without previous experience in mobile games. If you’re looking for new investment opportunities to recover incurred losses, MENA mobile gaming is a winning hand. With a projected valuation upwards of $4 billion by 2022, the MENA mobile gaming market is where you should set your sight for the future.