Dubai, UAE – Playgama, a game-tech startup based in the UAE, has raised $3 million in a funding round led by The Open Platform and s16vc, with participation from FJ Labs, The Games Fund, TON Ventures, and Kirill Eves, CEO and Founder of Unlimit. This funding will support Playgama’s mission to empower HTML5 game developers with seamless access to the fragmented global web gaming market.
Addressing a $32 Billion Global Opportunity
The global HTML5 gaming market, valued at $23 billion in 2021, is projected to grow to $32 billion by 2030, driven by in-game purchases and advertising. However, the market remains highly fragmented, with developers relying on numerous standalone platforms, social networks, and messengers, none of which dominate the ecosystem like Google Play or Steam do in their respective spaces.
Playgama aims to bridge this gap by creating a unified Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) ecosystem that enables developers to connect to all platforms through a single, streamlined process.
The Playgama Solution
At the heart of Playgama’s offering is Playgama Bridge, an open-source “integrate once, reach everywhere” SDK that has already been adopted by over 1,000 developers. The platform provides game developers with the tools they need to expand their reach, maximize returns, and overcome distribution challenges.
Playgama’s proprietary gaming portal also supports play-to-earn mechanics and crypto payments, bridging the gap between Web2 and Web3 gaming. This innovation is powered by strategic partnerships with The Open Platform and TON Ventures.
A Growing Gaming Hub
The Middle East’s gaming industry is thriving, with the market projected to grow from $6.34 billion in 2024 to $10.69 billion by 2029, at a robust CAGR of 11.02%. This burgeoning ecosystem offers fertile ground for HTML5 gaming to flourish.
A Visionary Team
Playgama was founded in 2023 by Dmitry Kachmar during his sabbatical at Harvard Business School. With a background in advertising technologies and classifieds, Kachmar assembled a team of over 30 professionals with experience at companies like Miro, Playrix, Easybrain, and Vivid Money. Headquartered in Dubai, the team spans locations from the US to Indonesia.
“We want to transform the web gaming market and empower HTML5 game creators to effortlessly reach audiences they once could only dream of,” said Kachmar. “Our distribution network already has the potential to reach over 200 million monthly active players, and this is just the beginning. With this funding, we’ll enhance our platform, expand our toolkit, and introduce advanced analytics and fintech solutions.”
Strategic Backing
Andrey Klebanov, Managing Director of The Open Platform, praised Playgama’s approach:
“At The Open Platform, we value Playgama’s commitment to providing HTML5 developers with an end-to-end toolkit for launching games as Telegram mini-apps and browser-based experiences. This approach not only simplifies access to diverse platforms but also opens doors for fintech and crypto innovations—offering developers and players new possibilities in gaming and payments.”
A Bold Future
With its fresh funding, Playgama is poised to accelerate its platform development, expand its capabilities, and continue its mission to unify the fragmented web gaming market. By providing a “master key” solution for developers, Playgama is set to redefine how HTML5 games are distributed globally.
