UMX Studio

Country: Saudi Arabia

Founded: 2014

Team Size: 70+

Platforms: Mobile

Status: Active

Overview

UMX Studio is a Riyadh-based mobile game developer and publisher founded in 2014. The studio is best known for its driving titles King of Steering (KOS) and Climbing Sand Dune (CSD), which together have surpassed 70 million downloads.

With more than two million monthly active users and a growing international audience, UMX continues to support its live titles while preparing new releases, including its upcoming game Drift X.

Games

King of Steering (KOS)
Climbing Sand Dune (CSD)
Drift X

Intelligence

UMX Studio has moved beyond early-stage experimentation into a structured live-operations business, using external capital and a proven driving franchise to scale audience reach and production capacity across multiple regions.

The key shift here is institutionalisation. Once a studio builds live-ops infrastructure and secures investment, expectations change. Growth becomes mandatory, not optional. The partnership with Jetapult provides scale leverage, but it also locks the company into performance discipline.

Funding and Backing

Secured $4.5 million investment from Jetapult
Jetapult’s first investment in the MENA region
Strategic capital deployed to scale live operations and new game development
Capital stage: Growth / Venture-backed

Strategic Model

Platform direction: Mobile-first live operations with long-term global distribution ambitions
Core genre: Driving and automotive simulation experiences
Monetisation approach: Free-to-play supported by continuous live-service updates
Growth mechanism: Data-driven live operations combined with targeted marketing expansion
Market positioning: Regional category leader scaling toward international competitiveness

Performance Signals

More than 70 million lifetime downloads across portfolio titles
Approximately 2 million monthly active users across live games
Around 20% of active player base located outside the MENA region
Demonstrated capability to sustain long-term live-service engagement
Featured by Apple as the first Saudi gaming company in its spotlight coverage, and profiled by Japanese television as part of its 'From Saudi Arabia to the World' segment

Operational Footprint

More than 70 employees distributed across Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India
Fully developed live-operations infrastructure including marketing, QA and player support services
Multi-region production and service model supporting continuous game updates

Growth Outlook

Expansion of portfolio through the Drift X franchise
Jetapult partnership enabling accelerated audience acquisition and product development
Continued scaling of live-operations systems and global market reach

Key Person

Ali Alharbi - CEO

Accepting introduction requests: TBC