August 2026 MENA Moves Tracker: PIF, Loom Games, Merak Capital, and Evlnu GameWorks among six moves tracked this month

A regular roundup of talent moves shaping the MENA region and Africa

PIF appoints Rachel Hitchins as senior vice president

Her appointment comes as the sovereign wealth fund continues to expand its global investment activities

Nour Khrais argues blocking AI from kids teaches them nothing

"A child using AI for homework is not automatically learning to think..."

Naphora Games Group enters soft launch with three original mobile games

A fourth game is set for soft launch in late September

Tunisian developer Urar Studio reveals Kopno: Blightfall trailer

Kopno: Blightfall combines survival, exploration, settlement building and RPG systems

Gaza Sky Geeks scales game development training past 1,000 registrations

"There is a clear hunger among young Palestinians for practical, future-facing digital skills"

Loom Games appoints Cansu Karahan Can as people & culture manager

She joins Loom after more than three years at Midas

Cozy Country is an upcoming landscape-painting game from developer Robert Kabwe

Players paint their own landscapes, including trees, rivers, and villages, then explore them on foot

MDEC and Xsolla launch Digital Games Accelerator Programme for Malaysian studios

Delivery is hybrid, with one compulsory in-person session for selected participants

IsaKaba+ is open again, free during early access

IsaKaba+ is back open for sign-ups, and for now, it's free.

Exel by Merak launches Exel Academy with premium gaming classes in Riyadh

Participants who attend all five days of a class receive an Exel Academy Certificate of Completion

The Lonely Architect is an upcoming platformer from Nigerian developer Odaro Eguavoen

Follows an overworked architect who falls asleep after another day at work and enters his subconscious