Saudi venture capital firm Impact46 has made its largest deal to date, investing more than SAR 200 million ($53 million) in Kammelna Studio, the Dammam-based developer behind Baloot, the Kingdom’s most popular card game.
Kammelna has built a strong position in culturally rooted Saudi games, with Baloot and Jackaroo downloaded more than 6 million times and over 1 million monthly active users. Its Baloot tournaments have drawn 150,000 participants, highlighting the game’s deep cultural pull. The studio employs more than 40 staff across engineering, AI, product and growth, making it the largest independent Saudi gaming developer.
Impact46 said the deal marks a milestone for the local gaming industry. “Kammelna strikes the perfect balance between a loyal user base, high retention, innovative monetization, and cultural value,” said Abdulaziz Al-Omran, founder and CEO.
Badr Al-Zamel, Kammelna’s co-founder and CEO, said the partnership would support expansion. “Our cultural games deserve world-class digital experiences. This investment enables us to create more titles that carry the spirit of our culture to players everywhere.”
The transaction was announced on August 23 at the Next-Gen Sports Conference, held alongside the Esports World Cup in Riyadh.
Impact46 manages more than SAR 2.3 billion in assets, including a dedicated gaming fund, and was an early backer of Rasan and Jahez, both of which later listed on Tadawul.
