Why the universal language of games means you don’t have to rely on localisation

There is a universal language to games that means some of the world’s the top titles don’t need to rely on localisation to succeed, says YallaPlay CEO Kareem Seddik.

He was speaking at Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan 2024 in a fireside chat with Walking Squid Advisory founder Kay Gruenwoldt entitled ‘Going Global: How MENA’s top Companies can Take on Worldwide Markets’.

Gruenwoldt asked how games developed in the Middle East can expand to global markers and gain broader appeal. While the MENA games industry is growing quickly – the region is the fastest rising games market by revenue in the world, according to Newzoo – the aren’t many global blockbusters emanating from the region.

One title that has broken out is Yalla Group’s (a diffferent company to YallaPlay) Yalla Ludo, which has generated hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide, with part of its audience based in the US.

Global hits

When aiming for a global success, Seddik used games like Tetris, Angry Birds and Candy Crush Saga as examples of titles where the gameplay is universally appealing, rather than relying on localisation.

He added there is of course a ‘sub-genre’ of games that have a focus on narrative elements.

ut he felt that, for MENA developers looking to gain worldwide appeal, it makes more business sense to try and build a title that doesn’t depend on being localised into international markets.