When Abu Dhabi-based Red Dunes Games attended Tokyo Game Show in 2023, the gaming studio did not even have a stand. The Emirati company was there for meetings, introducing itself to publishers and developers across Japan’s games industry.
This year, Red Dunes is set to return with a 17-space exhibition presence, a growing catalogue of titles and partnerships spanning Asia, Europe and North America.
For founders Sultan Al Darmaki and Mohamed Al Jneibi, the rapidity of that rise is striking.
“We grew really, really quickly,” Al Jneibi tells The National. “We were able to build partnerships with companies from different parts of the world.”
Founded four years ago under Gyrfalcon Holding, Red Dunes Games has expanded into publishing, co-development and original intellectual property, with about 15 games currently in production.
The company’s projects involve teams in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, Canada and the Netherlands, reflecting the founders’ long-standing relationships in the entertainment industry.
Before launching Red Dunes, Al Darmaki worked in film production through Dark Dunes Productions, investing in projects in Los Angeles and the UK, while Al Jneibi collaborated with Japanese companies including Bandai and Toei Animation through Eagle Punch Entertainment.
Gaming, however, remained the long-term goal.
The two founders had known each other for almost 25 years before launching Red Dunes Games together. They met in college in Abu Dhabi and later worked together at Gasco and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, while separately building careers across film, animation, cybersecurity and entertainment.
Throughout that time, both remained deeply immersed in gaming and anime culture, growing up on everything from Atari consoles to Japanese series dubbed in Arabic.
“We’ve always been best friends,” Al Jneibi says. “We were working in our own separate domains, then eventually we brought everything together.”
Starting a gaming company had long been part of that shared ambition, which later extended into esports through an investment in the Japanese organisation Reject.
Through Gyrfalcon, the Emirati group led Reject’s Series B funding round and became the only non-Japanese member on its board.
At the time, Reject already operated teams across titles including Street Fighter, Tekken, Apex Legends and Valorant. Since then, the organisation has become an official preferred partner of the Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia and built one of the strongest fighting game rosters on the scene.
Its Street Fighter division includes players such as Daigo Umehara, Tokido and Fuudo from Japan, alongside Abu Dhabi champions Adel “Big Bird” Anouche and Amjad “Angrybird” Al Shalabi.
Reject also won the SNK World Championship for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, securing a $1.5 million prize last year.
For Al Jneibi, the investment was never only about competitive success.
“The difficult thing is creating a team people can be inspired by,” he says. “You need grassroots events, coaches, content creators and talent development. There’s a whole ecosystem around esports.”
That philosophy is shaping plans for a future esports space in Abu Dhabi focused on tournaments, training and community events.
Alongside esports, Red Dunes has steadily built a publishing catalogue centred on indie projects and legacy Japanese properties. Its biggest announcement so far has been Samurai Pizza Cats: Blast from the Past!, based on the cult 1990s anime series. The reveal generated millions of views online within a day, particularly from Japan.
“We were floored by the reaction,” Al Jneibi says.
The company is also developing original titles inspired by Gulf culture and history. One upcoming game draws loosely from the UAE’s pearl-diving heritage. The rogue-like adventure follows a diver named Mansour exploring oceans filled with monsters and mythical creatures while incorporating visual references inspired by coastal Gulf communities.
“There’s a big change needed in how Arabs are represented in media,” Al Darmaki says.
The founders say their goal is to create games that carry recognisable Emirati influences while remaining accessible to audiences everywhere.
That approach also shapes the scale of their productions. Rather than pursuing blockbuster budgets, the pair say they are focusing on carefully managed projects with strong creative direction.
“We’re not trying to chase trends or make quick money,” Al Jneibi says. “If you make a good game, you make a good game.”
Over the next few years, Red Dunes plans to expand further into RPGs, anime productions and larger-scale game development while continuing to grow its international partnerships.
For Al Darmaki, the wider ambition is clear: “We want people to know that high-quality games can come from Emirati leadership.”
