- Record-breaking 2,500+ attendees from 30+ countries gather at Dead Sea venue
- Inaugural Jordan Games Awards celebrates region’s top games talent and studios
- Pocket Gamer Connects series announces expansion to Aqaba for 2025
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The 2024 Pocket Gamer Connects (PGC) Jordan conference concluded with remarkable success, establishing itself as a milestone event in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) games industry. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth, PGC Jordan brought together a dynamic mix of speakers, game developers, publishers, and industry leaders for two days of impactful talks, immersive workshops, and high-energy networking sessions.
This year’s conference was record breaking, with over 2,500 registrations and attendees representing more than 400 companies from 30+ countries, including United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait and Lebanon. The event highlighted Jordan’s growing prominence as a central player in the MENA games market and served as a hub for valuable exchanges of ideas and expertise.
More than 50 speakers took the stage, sharing insights into emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities in the MENA games industry. Attendees engaged in countless networking opportunities, setting the stage for partnerships that will shape the future of the region’s games landscape.
Celebrating the best of the Jordan games industry talent
Day 2 of PGC Jordan 2024 was marked by the highly anticipated Jordan Games Awards, honouring innovative creators and studios shaping Jordan’s games industry. The awards celebrated the full spectrum of achievements, from promising indie developers to established studios, spotlighting the talent driving Jordan’s influence in the MENA region. Winners were recognised for their creativity, technological advancements, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of game design and development in Jordan.
Congratulations to all winners and finalists for their remarkable contributions and achievements!
Audience Choice & indie innovation shine at Big Indie Zone
The Big Indie Zone, sponsored by ID@XBOX, was a vibrant space showcasing a diverse array of games. Attendees had the chance to vote for their favourites, with BioMed Squad emerging as the Audience Choice winner.
The hotly contested Very Big Indie Pitch competition took centre stage as well, providing indie developers with a platform to compete and share their projects. This year’s winners were:
- Cat’s Vote by Danar Dev
- Crush! by Hyena Hon
- Both of Us by Sitara
Judges commended the creativity and high quality of the entries, reinforcing the MENA region’s reputation as a burgeoning hub of game development talent.
New features for Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan 2024
PGC Jordan 2024 introduced exciting new features, enhancing the experience for attendees and fostering more collaboration and learning opportunities. The Jordan Games Awards took centre stage, complemented by the App Challenge and the Aqaba Hackathon, held under royal patronage, these local initiatives aimed to inspire young people to explore coding and game development.
The event also launched the Connector SpeedMatch, a structured networking opportunity enabling developers, publishers, and investors to connect efficiently and explore potential partnerships. The Indie Demo Area proved popular among attendees, offering indie developers a platform to showcase their work to a broad audience, receiving valuable feedback to help refine their projects.
Announcing Pocket Gamer Connects Aqaba 2025
Building on the resounding success of PGC Jordan, we are thrilled to announce the next instalment: Pocket Gamer Connects Aqaba 2025. Set against the beautiful coastal city of Aqaba, PGC Aqaba promises to create fresh opportunities for the MENA games industry to connect, learn, and innovate. Details will follow soon, but 2025 is set to be another landmark year for the region’s games landscape.
Words from the organisers of PGC Jordan
Chris James, CEO, Steel Media, said “Wow! I really couldn’t be prouder of PG Connects Jordan 2024, which delivered on all possible fronts.
The Jordanian games ecosystem turned up to the Dead Sea venue in force, together with guests from across the MENA region and international visitors, to deliver the biggest audience in the event’s history – with over 2,500 registered delegates!
The conference sessions varied from ‘well attended’ to ‘standing room only’, whilst the Workshops and RoundTables offered more focused direct and personal advice. Fringe events like The Very Big Indie Pitch and Connector SpeedMatch bolstered the MeetToMatch networking, yet the vibrant expo was buzzing throughout.
The inaugural Jordan Games Awards, celebrating the studios, upcoming developers, educational institutes, and local initiatives, was a huge success – with an enthusiastic crowd that typified the energy of the ecosystem.
This new addition nicely complemented the final awards for the Jordan Gaming Lab App Challenge (a regional initiative to encourage school kids to start coding) and the Aqaba Mobile Games Hackathon, under the patronage of representatives of the government and the Jordanian royal family.
I want to say a huge thanks to everyone who attended, to speakers who gave up their time and expertise, to the awesome Steel Media team who delivered as always, and a special shout to the indefatigable Nour Khrais and Hussein Bino, of Maysalward and the Jordan Gaming Lab, respectively, as well as our incredible partners at the King Abdullah II Fund for Development.
And to those who haven’t yet visited the event, or the MENA region as a whole, I simply say, ‘Wake up! You are missing something BIG and IMPORTANT here!’
Hope to see you next year in November when the event moves to the exciting new regional tech hub of Aqaba.”
Charlie Scowen, Events Content Coordinator, Steel Media, said, “All I can think of now that Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan has wrapped up is… wow! Across the two days, we saw some of the brightest minds from the MENA region and beyond share their fascinating insights to packed out rooms. We had 50 speakers speaking on nine topic areas to a room packed with young game makers. Top international speakers shared how to get started in the games industry, how to publish in the MENA market, and real practical advice on developing games.
We also had workshops on pitching to publishers, how to build ASO strategy and audio design. A massive thank you to Charly Harbord, Hanin Fahkridden and Ousama Naber for delivering those deep dive sessions.
The energy our attendees showed throughout the conference is infectious to the point I’m still buzzing now. Thank you to all of our fantastic speakers for making our event extra special and providing those in attendance with memorable advice, furthering our mission to support the local games ecosystem. I can’t wait to be back.”
A Look Ahead to Dubai GameExpo Summit 2025
As Pocket Gamer Connects celebrates its 10th anniversary, the series will return to the MENA region with the Dubai GameExpo Summit 2025, powered by PG Connects. Scheduled for May 7–8 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, the summit in partnership with the Dubai Economy & Tourism Department (DET) will coincide with the Dubai Esports and Games Festival, and promises to bring together over 100 speakers to discuss topics such as growth strategies, emerging technologies like AI and Web3, and MENA market insights.
As tickets will be released soon, attendees are encouraged to register their interest to ensure they don’t miss this monumental event in the global games calendar.
With 2024 marking a historic year for Pocket Gamer Connects and Jordan’s role in the MENA games industry, the momentum continues as Pocket Gamer Connects Aqaba 2025, and the Dubai GameExpo Summit 2025 promise to elevate the region’s standing even further.
