Artisan, a company specializing in the development of role-playing games (RPGs), has announced the opening of "the largest foreign-owned studio" in Saudi Arabia

Artisan has entered into an agreement with the Ministry of Investment in Saudi Arabia to establish "the largest foreign-owned game development studio in the Kingdom."

The new studio will be situated in new offices in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and will employ over 200 staff, including "top talent from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region."

Artisan's objective is to develop "the first AAA console games in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which comprises Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates."

According to Artisan, the company "will utilize this new studio to expand its global presence and become the first independent console game developer in the MENA region.

"Artisan aims to collaborate with local artists from various parts of the region to create new intellectual properties for global export," the statement adds.

Artisan's CEO, Mario Rizzo, expressed, "Riyadh has one of the most dynamic and vibrant independent game development communities. After two years of exploring the region, we realized it was the best place to establish a new studio.

"The support we have received from the Ministry has been world-class, and they have made us feel welcome in the Kingdom. We are honored to be the first developer invited to establish a studio in Riyadh and look forward to creating amazing new games together."

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has frequently made headlines in the gaming industry, but mostly for stories related to investments in foreign developers and publishers through the Public Investment Fund (PIF).

The PIF, which has made several investments in the video game industry, plays a central role in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's objective of reducing Saudi Arabia's reliance on oil revenues.

Earlier this year, the PIF increased its stake in Electronic Arts, reaching a total ownership of approximately 9%.

The fund has also been consistently investing in Nintendo, progressively increasing its stake in the company. It initially acquired a 5.01% stake in May 2022, which it raised to 6.07% in January 2023, 7.08% in February 2023, and further to 8.26% in the same month.

In December 2020, the fund acquired over $3 billion worth of stock in EA, the maker of Call of Duty, Activision Blizzard, and Take-Two, the parent company of Rockstar.

The long-term investments made by the PIF in the video game industry may raise concerns for some, considering Saudi Arabia's historical human rights issues.

American intelligence agencies have also accused the Crown Prince of ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.