Sandsoft and NetEase Games Team Up for Joint Venture to Publish Games in Fast-growing MENA Region

- The new company will provide publishing, marketing, and live operations activities –

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA & GUANGZHOU, CHINA - 27th March 2024 – Sandsoft Games (“Sandsoft”) and NetEase Games today announced a ground-breaking new partnership to establish a new joint venture to conduct game publishing, marketing, live operations and esports activities for the MENA region.

Sandsoft, a subsidiary of Ajlan & Bros Holding Group, is a mobile-first game developer, publisher and investor powered by world-leading games industry talent. The company boasts extensive expertise in international mobile game publishing and an established presence in the MENA region. NetEase Games is the online games division of NetEase, Inc. and a leading global developer and publisher of video game IP across a variety of genres and platforms.

This joint venture, Stellar Gate Games, unites NetEase Games’ scale, highly successful portfolio and international operations with Sandsoft’s global expertise and deep knowledge of the MENA region. The partnership is expected to play an important role in supercharging the growth of the games industry in MENA, one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, and contributing to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 for economic and social reform.

Mr. Abdulaziz Al Ajlan, Managing Director, Sandsoft, stated:
“This deal will establish Stellar Gate Games as the go-to partner for launching games in our fast-growing region. NetEase Games is among the world’s foremost gaming companies and we are delighted to cooperate with them to supercharge growth in the MENA games industry. This initiative aligns with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, specifically focusing on the National Gaming and Esports Strategy spearheaded by HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It represents another step forward in Saudi Arabia's journey towards becoming a global gaming leader. We would also like to thank the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) for its support of this partnership. Ajlan & Bros Holding Group has a longstanding track record of business partnerships in China that connect the two regions and, as part of the group, Sandsoft enjoys access to extensive, established infrastructure and relationships in China.”

Ethan Wang, Senior Vice President, NetEase, Inc. stated:
“In keeping with our proud spirit of global collaboration, creativity, and innovation, NetEase Games is excited to enter into this joint venture with Sandsoft to transcend boundaries and bring our games to the MENA region and its enthusiastic community of gamers. Furthermore, the opportunity this joint venture with Sandsoft provides for other developers and publishers is something we are keen to embrace. NetEase Games is passionate about our games and our gaming community, so it is a great pleasure to share our game experience more broadly and extend a warm welcome to MENA gamers.”

David Fernandez, CEO, Sandsoft, continued:
“As a global, mobile-first developer and publisher headquartered in KSA, we’re delighted to bring our expertise in the MENA region to this joint venture with NetEase Games. The new company will become a conduit to MENA audiences not just for NetEase Games and Sandsoft’s first-party games, but for developers and publishers worldwide. Players in the region deserve greater access to the exciting array of titles available in the global market, and we aim to play a key role in making this happen.”

About Sandsoft
Founded in 2020, Sandsoft is a fast-growth global mobile-first games developer, publisher and investor, powered by a diverse team of highly experienced games makers. Sandsoft is committed to providing engaging and entertaining gaming experiences to an international audience, supported by an experienced global team with a proven track record and deep-rooted knowledge of the video games market. The company is composed of passionate game creators who have worked on some of the most successful game franchises ever released, including FIFA, Candy Crush, Need for Speed, Angry Birds and World of Tanks. Headquartered in Saudi Arabia, with offices in Spain, Finland, and China, Sandsoft aims to bridge continents, cultures, and people, fostering closer connections and contributing to the development of the global gaming ecosystem as a market leader.

About NetEase Games
NetEase Games, the online games division of NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES and HKEX: 9999), is a leading global developer and publisher of video game IP across a variety of genres and platforms. NetEase Games' development and publishing slate include titles such as Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, Knives Out, and NARAKA: BLADEPOINT, and partnerships with major entertainment brands such as Warner Bros and Mojang AB (a Microsoft subsidiary). NetEase Games also supports the growth and development of its innovative global studios in Canada, Europe, Japan and the United States. For more information, please visit https://www.neteasegames.com/.

For further information contact

Sandsoft
Rana Rahman / Thomas Huxter / Priyanka Harsora
Raptor PR for Sandsoft
Tel +44(0)7985 635 071 / +44(0)7886 788 479 / +44(0)7939927615
rana@raptorpr.com / thomas@raptorpr.com / priyanka@raptorpr.com

NetEase, Inc.
Li Ruohan
globalpr@service.netease.com
Tel: (+86) 571-8985-2668

NetEase Games
Zhou Zhaoxi
neteasegamespr@global.netease.com
Tel. (+86) 20-85105163 ext.57169