Savvy Games Group expanded its leadership team with former executive director of the International Game Developers Association Foundation, Nika Nour.
Nour, who carries over a decade’s experience in games and esports, and held positions at Genvid Entertainment, Entertainment Software Association, Internet Association and more, joins Savvy Games Group, which is Saudi Arabia’s national champion for games and esports.
As a deal maker for Savvy Games Group, Nour assumes an important position, as Savvy has been on an expansion path in the games business, including its $4.9 billion acquisition of mobile game maker Scopely in 2023 (on the eve of its launch of Monopoly Go).
As the SVP and head of international business development, Nika will aid Savvy’s goal of establishing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a global games hub.
Nour began her career in Congressional Affairs for the U.S. House of Representatives. As a new media specialist, she maximized visual media and web operations for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and leveraged her technical expertise to aid multiple congressional offices.
In 2012 Nika moved into digital advocacy, first with the Internet Association as the director of communications, and then as the head of public affairs for the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). She streamlined legislative concerns with North American investment accelerators and directed global government strategies to increase brand awareness for PC/console and games products.
For the ESA, she also enforced a robust technology policy portfolio encompassing crucial issues such as media violence, H.1.B visas, STEM education, intellectual property, and more.
Nour continued to draw attention to the industry’s DEIA efforts as the executive director for the International Game Developers Association Foundation (IGDAF), where she programmed the Diverse Game Developers Fund, a $500,000 grant program for global startups and student scholarships, backing 10+ global indie startups and studios. She tripled revenues through fundraising, and built MENA-focused mentorship programs, and skills development programs with the world’s biggest games businesses from Xbox and Unity to Riot Games.
Most recently, as the head of partnerships for Genvid Entertainment, known for massively interactive streaming products like The Walking Dead: Last Mile, she focused on publishing Emmy award-winning Silent Hill: Ascension, DC Heroes United, and Borderlands Echovision Live.
She brings her ecosystem building expertise to Savvy Games Group. With the aim of making KSA a global games hub, Nika will be responsible for building strategic international partnerships, and recruiting game studios and companies to the Kingdom.
She will advise on mergers, acquisitions, and strategic investments to support the growth of Savvy’s ecosystem, and drive the growth of domestic businesses.
Savvy, wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), is Saudi Arabia’s National Champion for Games and Esports, with a mission to drive the long-term growth and development of the broader games and esports industry worldwide.
A key strategic focus for Savvy is to help build Saudi Arabia’s domestic games and esports ecosystem, which includes establishing and facilitating partnerships and collaborations with international games companies to support them access the KSA and MENA markets better and foster mutually beneficial cooperation.
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