Pakistan's gaming industry is entering a new phase after Abhi opened a regional headquarters, executives and investors told WritePures this week.
Investors remain cautiously optimistic. Total venture funding into Pakistani startups reached $60 million in Q3 2025, the strongest quarter since 2019.
Still, questions remain about long-term sustainability. Margins in the software exports business are thin, and customer acquisition costs have risen sharply since 2019.
Winners and losers
Security experts have urged users to enable two-factor authentication and to update their apps promptly, noting that attackers increasingly target mobile-first markets.
"The talent is here. What has been missing is patient capital and predictable policy."
Hamza Butt, founder at Foodpanda Pakistan
The company said the initiative would create roughly 120 jobs over the next two years, most of them in Rawalpindi and Quetta. It did not disclose the size of the investment, but people familiar with the plans put the figure at between $120 million and $600 million.
The road ahead
The broader picture is one of steady growth. Internet penetration now exceeds 35% of the population, and mobile broadband subscriptions have more than doubled since 2019.
Key points
- Partnership with LUMS to train local engineers
- Competitors including 10Pearls are expected to respond within months
- Roughly 300 jobs expected over the next two years
- New features will support Urdu alongside English
The move comes as regulators tighten oversight. the Karachi Chamber of Commerce issued new guidelines in July requiring companies to store customer data locally and to report security incidents within 72 hours.
Government officials welcomed the development. A spokesperson for the Federal Board of Revenue said the initiative "aligns with the national digital agenda" and promised faster approvals for similar projects.
Reporting by the WritePures newsroom. Have a tip? Contact our editors.
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