On the heels of growth across Canada, India, Mexico, Spain, and more, Scopely’s most recent expansion is in the MENA region – one of the fastest-growing video game ecosystems in the world.
Scopely has always set itself apart by its deep focus on working with the best talent in the world who are passionate about inspiring play, every day. As part of that ongoing ambition to build the most talent-dense Scopely ecosystem possible, we continue to expand to new markets around the globe.
Over the last year or so, we’ve entered new regions across North and Central America and grown our existing presence in Asia and Europe.
Today, we continue our efforts to make long-term investments in our global expansion by expanding to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The team, led by industry veteran Charity Joy, will extend our footprint in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region – one of the fastest-growing game ecosystems in the world.
As the newest member of our Scopely leadership team, Charity will begin to build a team in the area, which we believe will be a high growth, exciting games market over the next decade and beyond.
With nearly two decades of experience, Charity’s mentorship will be invaluable to the talent joining us, and we’re excited for her to develop the workforce from the ground up. Let me tell you more about Charity:
As a creative lead of the MMO “Club Penguin,” the world’s largest virtual world for kids, Charity helped propel the game from launch to 300M+ global users. Following its acquisition by The Walt Disney Company, she continued to develop immersive digital and in-person experiences for a decade at Disney. Charity has helped start successful gaming and technology businesses and worked alongside innovative teams at Pixar, Lucasfilm, Disney Imagineering, Marvel, Lenovo, the UFC, and more.
Charity most recently led Electronic Art's UK-based Criterion Studio as General Manager, overseeing such games as “Need for Speed” and co-development of “Battlefield.” Charity is also a certified executive coach, has studied circus arts and comedy, and is an amateur poet, songwriter, and author. My favorite fun fact about her is that she hopes to live in a treehouse one day.
But before the treehouse, Charity will make her mark in one of the fastest-growing games regions. 89% of the MENA population identify as a “gamer” – the highest per capita ratio globally. What’s more, over 50% of residents are under 25, highly tech-savvy, and passionate about gaming.
We see an incredible opportunity to invest in this emerging market and passionate talent base to build the best games possible. Our partnership with Savvy Games Group also uniquely positions us to make an indelible impact on the region. I’ve visited Riyadh a number of times since we joined the Savvy Games portfolio and continue to be inspired by the incredible excitement that surrounds all things games. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world with a national games strategy, and we’re excited to help build the local ecosystem and create even more job opportunities for games professionals.
Our presence in Riyadh will have its own identity: Mirai, a Scopely company, designed to foster and cultivate the future of the MENA games landscape. We will aim to accelerate the growth of local talent new to gaming through training and development, and the areas where they can have the most impact will start to take shape as we build our team and our portfolio expands.
WHY “MIRAI”?
Scopely’s identity has long been connected to the Japanese art of origami, which shows up in our Scopely S icon. Just like games, origami has limitless permutations, exemplifying precision, innovation, transformation, quality, and craftsmanship. Origami represents the ability to “unfold a world,” how each individual chooses, which deeply connects to our Scopely vision and goals. Based on these roots, we chose the name “Mirai” for our new team as it means “future” in Japanese.
Charity has already demonstrated in our numerous conversations why she’ll be an exceptional leader for the next generation of talent in Saudi Arabia. When reflecting on the opportunity, she said:
"When life hands you an adventure, you say yes. Mirai is mine, and I’m ready to put my two decades of experience to work to build something impactful that will contribute to the world of games.
The games industry is such a special place – we do our best work when we harness diversity of thought and skill to come together to create magnificent experiences that captivate audiences, transport them to different worlds, and create a sense of connection, collaboration and competition.
I am honored to embark on the journey of leading Mirai, aiming to build an incredible, world-class team that thrives on continuous learning and accelerates the capacity of the game development talent in the region.
I’m already inspired by the passionate men and women I’ve met in Riyadh who are ready to make their mark on games. They share the commitment to excellence and collaborative spirit I see in my Scopely peers. The world of game development is watching what’s happening here in MENA, and I am excited to see what we can deliver.”
It’s a pleasure to welcome Charity to Scopely and support her journey to develop a group of passionate people dedicated to the art of play.
Eunice