Mad Hook CEO names fundraising Jordan's biggest challenge as MENA studios close

Mad Hook CEO Hazim Al-Hanbali says MENA studios are closing and downsizing. Indie development keeps growing, especially in Saudi Arabia. He names fundraising as the main challenge in Jordan. He argues government funding is the only missing support. "If I want to change one thing in the sector, I will convert competition to collaboration." - Hazim Al-Hanbali, CEO, Mad Hook

"You can see development studios closing doors, some are downsizing, while others are growing and raising funds." - Hazim Al-Hanbali, CEO, Mad Hook
Al-Hanbali sees indie growth in new games, funds raised and new teams.
Saudi Arabia leads that indie growth.
MENA-3 player spending is projected to reach $3 billion by 2030.
MENA-3 covers Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt, and the projection excludes Jordan.

Al-Hanbali calls fundraising the main challenge in Jordan.
He links weaker investment appetite to global industry downsizing.
He says regional political tensions are slowing investment.
He says the sector is still moving forward despite these pressures.
Al-Hanbali offers no alternative financing model for Levant studios.

"I believe if the government provides enough funding, it's the only thing currently needed." - Hazim Al-Hanbali, CEO, Mad Hook
He says regional teams with original content also need global publishing support.
The claim breaks down because he calls funding the only need.
That claim conflicts with his separate call for publishing support.
He offers no figures on how much government funding would be enough.

Al-Hanbali says Jordanian players choose trending games over better games.
Young players drive this behaviour by playing with friends.
This favours social virality over craft for discovery.
His bet on passion-driven, culture-inspired indie studios faces this discovery risk.
He notes genre clustering in racing alongside outliers such as Azooma Escape.

Al-Hanbali calls government-level competition across the region healthy.
He argues cross-border collaboration would strengthen the sector region-wide.
He expects a couple of success stories within five years.
He expects more console and PC titles from the region.
He hopes for a fully Arabic-developed triple-A title.

For Investors & VC: Source Levant studio deals at distressed valuations while competing capital stays concentrated in Saudi Arabia.
For UA & Marketing: Shift MENA launch budgets toward squad-play referral and friend-invite mechanics over quality-led creative.
For Service Vendors: Pitch global publishing and co-dev packages to Jordanian studios with original IP and depleted runway.