Abu Dhabi’s Twofour54 will play host to French video games publisher Ubisoft. A new studio has been established on the premises to develop the region’s gaming industry.

“This is a very significant partnership. For the first time, one of the leading world games publishing is making a commitment to the Gulf and bringing development to the region. It is an opportunity to develop Arabic gaming content, which is a first,” says Wayne Borg, deputy chief executive and chief operating officer at Twofour54.

The global gaming industry is worth $74bn and is a sector that is showing promising growth across the Middle East & North Africa (Mena) region, with the increasing online and smartphone penetration rates.

Ubisoft will be working with local recruits to develop games for the market across all platforms, with emphasis on internet games. The studio will open in December.

“We want to see something (a game) as soon as is practical, perhaps within the next couple of years,” says Borg.

Ubisoft will also help to train new recruits and contribute to Twofour54’s gaming academy, which aims to train young intakes from across Mena region. Ubisoft is behind globally successful games such as Assassin’s Creed and Prince of Persia.