December 20, 2021

How Tamatem Turned The Mobile Games Industry On Its Head

While the MENA mobile games industry is still rather unpenetrated, you can only imagine what it looked like around a decade ago. Not only were high-quality Arabic mobile games non-existent, but there was no user’s manual on how to enter or navigate the uncharted market. Today, with over 100 million downloads, 3.4 million monthly active users, and a clear vision of our journey from past to present, it’s safe to say that Tamatem has taken the industry by storm.

This article will give you an insightful look at how we were able to do so – we’ll dive into the elements that drove our process from ideation, to execution, to massive growth. 

Striking While The Iron’s Hot

First thing’s first, we knew there was a blaring gap in the MENA mobile games market. The region was underserved, the Arabic language was overlooked and, as a result, an entire market was alienated. Existing mobile games that did target Arabic-speakers were viewed as sub-par, and rightfully so – they did not compete, neither in quality nor quantity, on a global level.

With that in mind, Tamatem trail-blazed its way into the industry with a solid mission to make Arabic-speaking mobile gamers feel seen, heard and served. 

A Localized Approach

Being well-versed in the Arabic market, language, and culture, Tamatem knew what the MENA segment of mobile gamers needed to generate maximum satisfaction. 

We knew two main things:

  1. Even without much Arabic content available, Arabs were avid mobile gamers
  2. Arabic-speakers were, and still are, hugely culture-oriented and passionate about Arabic

As such, we penetrated the MENA mobile games industry by taking a localized approach. We partnered with global game developers to translate, refine, localize and publish their games in the MENA region. From there, we set out to shift the paradigm by using localization as our go-to-market strategy.

Organic Growth

Since the market was thirsty for culturally-relevant games, we were bringing a highly in-demand product to the table. Many existing global and Western games were already popular amongst MENA mobile gamers. Enter Tamatem’s localized version of those same games, and we started to see them spread like wildfire and top the charts at number 1. 

Proven successful, our localization approach quickly catapulted Tamatem into massive growth.

As a pioneer in the industry, Tamatem naturally started attracting coverage and exposure across the region, which drove more and more growth. With the right time, place and strategy, we fulfilled a major pain point for mobile gamers across the region. As a result, Tamatem grew in popularity, multiplied in size and practically dominated the market.

Our Silver Bullet: Talent, talent, talent!

From day one, cutting corners with our people and talent was never an option. To keep up with the growth and maintain the integrity of our process, Tamatem’s team was, still is, and will always be, our silver bullet. Our talent is our end all be all – the incredible people behind Tamatem are the reason why our success has been unwavering. 

The Tamatem team has always been on the hunt for the best of the best in mobile gaming. As we continue to grow, our eyes remain set on hiring and capitalizing on the region’s talent. A team-focused and unified approach to growth continues to be a non-negotiable priority of ours.

Then and Now

Over the years, we’ve seen Tamatem achieve milestones that have broken records and barriers across the MENA mobile games market. We’ve flipped the industry upside down by mobilizing a wave of high-grade, culture-centric, Arabic content. Going from 4 million downloads in 2014 to over 100 million downloads today, our numbers have changed, but our core identity remains the same. We still focus, every single day, on cultivating top-notch talent and publishing high-quality games that speak to our audience genuinely. 
Having achieved the growth we envisioned and beyond, localization remains at the heart of our process. Our mission is to further support the evolution of the MENA mobile games market by driving investments, resources and global partnerships to the region. If you’re a mobile games developer interested in expanding into the MENA, look no further. Tamatem is always partnering with renowned developers to bring the world’s best games to the fertile ground of MENA mobile gaming.

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