A playable proposition
A reliable build, a clear audience and a concise explanation of what makes the experience worth developing. Show gameplay and playtest evidence.
JINN INCUBATOR & ACCELERATOR
Your graduate project.
Its next chapter.
Jinn Academy trains the teams in Pakistan. Jinn Studios LLC, our Sharjah, UAE-based parent company, gives the strongest projects a path toward funding, publishing and the platforms that matter — Sony, Microsoft, Epic, Valve and the wider region.
01 / THE TWO-MARKET MODEL
Built in Pakistan.
Backed from the UAE.
PAKISTAN / WHERE GAMES ARE BUILT
A trained production base.
Jinn Academy's connected 3–12 month pathway produces teams who have already shipped one playable project together, with individual competence assessed throughout. Incubation starts with proven collaborators, not a cold start.
UAE / WHERE DEALS ARE MADE
A commercial gateway.
Jinn Studios LLC is registered in Sharjah Media City Free Zone. As the parent company, it can hold IP, sign funding and publishing agreements, and register with the platform and government programmes below that require a regional legal entity — doors a student team alone could not open.
02 / HOW THE INCUBATOR WORKS
From demo
to deal-ready.
01
Selection
↗02
Mentorship & production sprint
↗03
Funding & publishing readiness
↗04
Platform submission
↗Graduate teams from the 6, 9 or 12-month milestones may be invited to apply. Selection looks at gameplay quality, reliability, team commitment and a realistic completion plan — not just visual polish. A structured mentoring period in gameplay, technical art, production and business planning follows, aimed at turning a course demo into a stronger, more complete build. Jinn Studios then prepares the project for the specific requirements of the programme or publisher being targeted — documentation, budgets, milestones and a pitch package — before submitting or co-submitting as the registered entity, with the team's continued involvement defined by a separate agreement.
03 / PLATFORM & PARTNER LANDSCAPE
Where a Jinn Studios
project could go.
Potential routes to research, not confirmed partnerships. Programme availability, eligibility, funding terms and application windows must be checked directly before any submission.
SONY / MENA HERO PROJECT
Mentorship and recoupable funding.
A regional programme worth investigating for suitable projects. A UAE company does not by itself make Pakistan-based production eligible. Team location, development activity, rights and the current application requirements need direct confirmation before planning a submission.
MENA Hero ProjectEPIC GAMES / MEGAGRANTS
A potential route for eligible projects.
A potential funding route to research for suitable Unreal-related projects. Teams should check the current programme scope, application window and supporting-material requirements, then decide whether their project is a strong fit. Course completion does not imply eligibility or selection.
Epic MegaGrantsMICROSOFT / ID@XBOX
Free tools, a self-publishing route.
A developer-publishing route to investigate when a project and team are ready. Account approval, project acceptance, platform requirements and release preparation are separate steps. Students should begin with a reliable build and clear ownership records.
Xbox developer publishingVALVE / STEAM
The most accessible route to players.
A PC distribution route that teams may explore after reviewing current onboarding, fees, tax and banking requirements, content rules and the release-review process. Preparing store materials is a useful learning exercise; publication is a separate decision.
Steam DirectSAVVY GAMES GROUP / REGIONAL INVESTOR
The region's biggest gaming investor.
Backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund with a stated multi-billion-dollar mandate to grow gaming across the region, Savvy Games Group owns and invests across publishing, esports and platforms. A longer-horizon relationship to build once Jinn has shipped, tested games — not a first application.
Savvy Games GroupUAE / DUBAI PROGRAMME FOR GAMING 2033
A government-backed home base.
Delivered through the Dubai Film and Games Commission, this initiative supports the emirate's gaming sector with production rebates, business-setup support and talent-development programmes for registered studios. Jinn Studios LLC, as a UAE-registered creative company, can explore formal registration within this ecosystem.
Dubai Film & Games CommissionUAE / HUB71, SHERAA & IN5
Capital, office space and community.
Abu Dhabi's Hub71 connects member companies to 40+ capital partners, incentives and mentorship, and has run gaming-focused cohorts; Sharjah's Sheraa and Dubai's in5 offer comparable startup incubation. These sit alongside platform-specific funding as accelerator routes Jinn Studios could apply to directly as a UAE-registered company.
Hub71 Abu DhabiWHAT INCUBATION IS, AND ISN'T
Clear terms, not assumptions.
Selection is separate from graduation, and no student's qualification depends on receiving an offer. Incubation does not transfer game ownership to Jinn automatically — participation, IP, credits, compensation and publishing terms are set out in a separate agreement each team can review before agreeing to anything. Being incubated by Jinn Studios does not guarantee acceptance, funding or publication by Sony, Microsoft, Epic, Valve or any other partner named above; each evaluates applications independently.
Who can apply to the incubator?+
Teams that complete a 6, 9 or 12-month Jinn Academy milestone with an assessed, working demo. Applying is optional and happens after your course results, never instead of them.
Does the UAE 50% rule for Sony mean we have to relocate?+
Company registration alone does not establish a project’s eligibility. Any regional production or relocation plan must be checked against the current programme requirements and confirmed in writing before a team makes commitments.
Who owns the game afterward?+
The founding team, unless and until a separate written agreement says otherwise. Jinn Studios does not claim automatic ownership of student or incubated projects.
What does Jinn Studios get out of it?+
A share of future commercial value from projects it helps fund, publish or represent — always defined in the specific agreement for that project, never assumed in advance.
Can a project skip Jinn entirely and self-publish?+
Yes. Steam, itch.io and similar routes stay open to every graduate regardless of incubation. The incubator exists for teams who want structured support reaching bigger platforms and funders.
WHAT A TEAM SHOULD BRING
A strong demo.
A credible next step.
An indicative readiness checklist for future incubation conversations. It is not a guarantee of selection or funding.
A committed team
Named contributors, clear responsibilities, evidence of collaboration and an honest account of the time each person can commit.
A realistic production plan
A limited scope, milestones, cost assumptions and the main technical risks. Explain what the next phase would prove before asking for a larger budget.
A clean project history
Credits, asset and music licenses, AI-tool records and clear ownership discussions. Identify any rights questions before commercial negotiations.
A useful presentation
A short pitch, gameplay capture, screenshots and a brief description of the market. Separate finished features from future intentions.
A reviewable agreement
Any mentorship, investment, publishing or relocation arrangement needs clear terms, responsibilities and a chance for the team to review them.
YOUR NEXT CHAPTER STARTS HERE
Don't just play worlds.
Create them.
Pre-enroll for the founding cohort
Free registration of interest. No commitment.