Naphora Games Group

Country: Saudi Arabia

Founded: 2023

Team Size: Fewer than 50 people (previously listed as 50-70; the studio has said team size was restructured around talent density during its 2025 pivot)

Platforms: PC, Console, Mobile

Status: Active

Website: https://naphora.com/

Overview

Naphora Games Group is a Saudi Arabian mobile game developer and self-publisher headquartered in Riyadh. The company originally operated as a private investment and development label, backing external studios such as Raheebeen Studio and HOLODOT and providing them with financial support, equipment, workspace, and legal, financial, strategic and marketing services.

In mid-2025, Founder and Executive Chairman Saud Alblehed and co-founder Abdullah Almuhanna brought in Charles Bussy, formerly of Ubisoft and Halfbrick Studios, as Partner and Managing Director to redesign the company. Naphora pivoted away from third-party investment to focus entirely on developing, owning and self-publishing original mobile games from Saudi Arabia for global audiences, built around rapid prototyping and continuous market validation.

The group's earlier partner-studio work includes AFRSHO with Raheebeen Studio and Shotball, a competitive 3v3 title, with HOLODOT. Naphora positioned itself in early 2026 as Saudi Arabia's leading mobile game studio and self-publisher, pointing to Shotball's launch across 8 regions and its recognition as a 2025 Star at the Esports World Cup.

In August 2026, Naphora entered soft launch with three original, in-house developed mobile games: Content Creator Mansion, Arototo and Grapplo, marking its first releases under the new self-publishing model. A fourth title is planned for soft launch in late September 2026, with two more expected in Q4 2026.

Games

AFRSHO/BattleSwipe
Content Creator Mansion
Arototo
Grapplo

Intelligence

Funding and Backing

Privately funded/self-funded structure; no disclosed external funding round
Previously provided direct financial backing, equipment, and workspace to incubated partner studios under its earlier label model

Strategic Model

Mobile-first self-publishing is now the studio's primary direction, following its 2025 pivot away from operating as an external investment label
Prior platform work spans PC and console through partner studios (Shotball with HOLODOT, AFRSHO with Raheebeen Studio)
Production pipeline built around continuous marketability testing: concepts are prototyped, tested against the market, and progressed, changed or stopped based on evidence, with investment increasing only as evidence increases
Team philosophy: favours small teams, short development cycles, and early validation over large, multi-year productions
AI stance: used as a supportive tool to accelerate artist workflows, not positioned as core to the pipeline
Geographic focus: Saudi-first, with stated global ambitions supported by a maturing local funding pipeline (Merak Capital, Impact46, CODE, Saudi Digital Academy)

Active and Upcoming Projects

Content Creator Mansion (idle tycoon), Arototo (puzzle), and Grapplo (endless runner) — live worldwide on Google Play as of August 2026
A fourth title expected to enter soft launch in late September 2026, with two additional titles planned for Q4 2026
Shotball (Holodot Studio, published by Naphora) — Saudi's first esports title, showcased as a 2025 Star at the Esports World Cup, launched in 8 regions
AFRSHO/BattleSwipe (Raheebeen Studio) — took first place in Action and third in Free Games on the App Store on launch day

Performance Signals

80% Saudi team composition, 20% international/Arab talent, prior to the 2025 restructuring
Operates a game development academy in partnership with local and international institutions
Shotball's EWC recognition and 8-region launch represent Naphora's most significant commercial milestone under its earlier partner-studio model
Three original mobile titles now live simultaneously, Naphora's first proof point under its self-published, in-house model, with three more soft launches planned before end of 2026

Key People

Saud Alblehed - Founder and Executive Chairman
Abdullah Almuhanna - Co-founder
Charles Bussy - Partner and Managing Director, formerly of Ubisoft and Halfbrick Studios