By Sharvari Alape
Invasion or Soqor Al Arab, is an Arabic language mobile game that has been launched in 2016. Since then, it has driven over 5 million registered users. Likewise, Salah Al Din which is the first IP game, has found fame. The game is based on the historical TV series Salah Al Din- a famous series in the Arab world.
But the person behind these creations is not from the region. He is Baker Ma, the founder and CEO of MENA Mobile who is a fluent Arabic speaker but from China.
“Our games are successful here [MENA] because we created and designed them based on the culture and the social rules of this region,” Ma told Communicate. He added that creating an influence within the market happens by “learning and familiarizing” with the locality.
Over time, more companies have come to the realization for the urgency of localizing content in the region, to be able to connect with customers.
MENA Mobile is seen as a prime example for these companies as they have implemented localization through: characterization of the language, stories, background, music and the characters as per the cultural setting and heritage of the MENA region.
Having quite an extensive knowledge about the regional market, Ma believes that their strength is in their familiarity with the place. He said that he recognized the need for more Arabic language content in the region, hence he was able to find success by developing what was needed to fill those needs.
With his knowledge about MENA, Ma said he wants to help other Chinese companies establish basis within the region by educating them on the psychology of the Arab users. “Other Chinese companies face problems because they have zero knowledge about this region very specific lifestyle,” he added.
Having found its ground within the Middle East market, Ma said he has no plans to expand to other regions in the world.”My knowledge is the Middle East. So I’ll do my business in this region.”
