The Next Big Move in Pakistan’s Gaming & Animation Industry: Highlights from CEGA’s First Investor Summit

The landscape of interactive media and creative technology in Pakistan experienced a milestone moment at the FuturePlay Investor Summit, hosted at the flagship Centre of Excellence in Gaming and Animation (CEGA) premises in Karachi.

As the first official investor summit for CEGA’s inaugural cohort, the summit brought together top local and global publishers, angel investors, VCs, and creative tech executives.

It was the ultimate milestone for 8 handpicked startups across gaming, 3D animation, and immersive media—showcasing six months of hard work, market testing, and creative evolution.

What is CEGA and Why FuturePlay Matters

The Centre of Excellence in Gaming & Animation (CEGA) has been established through a public-private partnership between the Ministry of IT & Telecommunication (MoITT), Ignite – National Technology Fund, and HUM Network Limited to accelerate the growth of Pakistan’s gaming, animation, and creative technology sectors.

Designed as an integrated ecosystem, CEGA brings together industry-focused training, startup incubation, technical infrastructure, mentorship, and community engagement to nurture talent, support entrepreneurs, and strengthen collaboration across the creative technology value chain. Through this holistic approach, CEGA aims to enable the development of original intellectual property (IP), build globally competitive creative technology ventures, and position Pakistan as a growing hub for gaming and animation.

FuturePlay Investor Summit is a natural extension of this vision. While CEGA equips startups with the technical, business, and industry support needed to develop market-ready products, FuturePlay provides a platform for them to showcase their ventures to investors, publishers, strategic partners, and industry leaders. By connecting founders with capital, market access, and strategic partnerships, the summit helps bridge the gap between incubation and commercial growth, enabling promising Pakistani studios to scale and compete in international markets.

Inside CEGA’s Cohort 1: How 22 Startups Were Primed for Success

Out of 22 startups inducted into CEGA’s inaugural Cohort 1 across Lahore and Karachi, eight standout teams were selected to pitch directly to global publishers and investors at the FuturePlay Investor Summit.

Selection into the cohort followed a competitive three-stage process:

• Eligibility & Screening: Initial review of founder credentials, core team skills, and high-level product vision.
• Two-Stage Review: Internal and external evaluations measuring market potential, technical stack, and competitive edge.
• Expert Pitch: A final live pitch to an industry panel to secure a spot in the free 6-month program.

Over six intensive months, these founders underwent hands-on incubation focused on unit economics, scalable pipelines, target market alignment, and robust IP protection.

Spotlight on the 8 Pitching Startups

• Gameworm Studio: An indie game company offering full-suite development and visual art services while building their flagship IP, Marzumai—a survival horror game rooted in Pakistani folklore.
• Glitch Games Studio: A team of experienced artists and designers creating games that promote cultural diversity, enhance cognitive engagement, and entertain players across generations.
• Imagine World: Founded by four passionate students, this dynamic startup builds immersive games and expansive virtual worlds proudly crafted in Pakistan.
• Sabz Film: A creative production studio crafting high-quality visual stories, with a dedicated focus on animated films and series that entertain, educate, and inspire global audiences.
• Kashmeta: An XR and Metaverse startup building one of the world’s first metaverse-based medical universities, enabling healthcare professionals to practice surgical procedures in collaborative, multi-player VR/XR environments.
• OO Studios: Developers of Free Wars: The First Age, a live, server-authoritative 4X Strategy MMO for mobile engineered around permanent world state persistence.
• TuPack: A multichain, multigame protocol bridging traditional gaming liquidity into Web3 through tokenized in-game cosmetic skins and win-to-earn tournaments.
• Pixel Dream Studios: With over 15 years of industry experience, this studio brings big dreams to life by developing original and client-driven video games and immersive XR experiences

Bridging the Gap Between Creative Vision and Commercial Execution

CEGA’s hands-on curriculum was engineered to transform passion projects into publisher-ready studios through three core pillars:

• Direct Mentorship & Refinement: Weekly 1-on-1 coaching with veteran game directors and narrative leads helped teams polish mechanics, refine pitch decks, and build sustainable monetization models.
• Studio-Grade Infrastructure: Founders leveraged CEGA’s high-end motion capture gear, specialized dev labs, and rendering setups to raise production values to global standards.
• Real-World Impact: Rather than building in isolation, teams went through continuous feedback loops with industry experts, turning raw prototypes into market-ready titles with real commercial traction.

By the time these founders took the stage at FuturePlay, their projects had evolved from raw concepts into market-tested prototypes with defined monetization strategies.

HUM Network Reaffirms Support for Emerging Creative Technology Startups

The summit was attended by senior leadership from HUM Network Limited, including Islam Ahmed Khan, Senior Executive Vice President, and Naeem Tahir, Chief Internal Auditor. Their presence underscored HUM Network’s long-term commitment to nurturing Pakistan’s creative technology ecosystem and supporting the growth of startups emerging from CEGA. Engaging directly with founders, investors, and industry stakeholders, they reaffirmed HNL’s commitment to creating opportunities, fostering strategic partnerships, and enabling startups to access the networks, mentorship, and industry connections required to scale their businesses.

Sony Joins as Creative Tech Partner

A major highlight of the summit was having Sony on board as the event’s official Creative Tech Partner.

Having an international technology giant back the event sent a strong signal to the global market about the talent emerging from Pakistan’s creative tech sector. Sony’s partnership provided both technical prestige and practical alignment for the cohort, underscoring the potential of locally produced IPs to compete on global platforms.

The Panel Talk: “The Rise of Pakistan’s Gaming & Animation Tech Ecosystem”

Beyond the individual startup pitches, the heart of the summit was a powerful convergence of ecosystem leaders during a featured panel discussion: “The Rise of Pakistan’s Gaming & Animation Ecosystem: Opportunities, Trends, and the Future.”

The discussion brought together key industry figures, including:

• Syed Arsalan Qamar – Director of Gaming & Esports, Jazz
• The Rocket Guy – Founder, Phoenix Venture House (PVH) & The Rocket Guy Space
• Hasnain Ali – Investment Associate, PNO Capital
• Taha Shuja – Regional General Manager, HUM Network | Business Organization & Development
• Subah Shah – Enterprise BD & Partnerships, ImagineArt

Together, these leaders unpacked where the region’s creative sectors are heading, sharing key takeaways on:

• Shifting from Service to Ownership: Why Pakistani developers must move away from low-margin contract work toward owning scalable, high-equity original IPs.
• Meeting Publisher Standards: Direct insights from international publishers on what it takes for indie titles from emerging markets to secure global distribution and platform deals.
• Building a Sustainable Capital Pipeline: How venture funds, private investors, and government initiatives can work together to provide long-term follow-on funding for creative tech studios.

The discussion proved that Pakistan’s creative technology industry is no longer operating in isolated silos. By bringing key decision-makers onto one stage, the summit established a shared roadmap for positioning local talent on the global map.

Hands-On Demos, Real-Time Playtesting & A Night of Connections

Beyond the main stage, the summit felt like an exclusive preview of the future of Pakistan’s creative tech. Interactive demo stations were packed as investors and publishers strapped in to test live game builds.

As the pitch timers turned off, the crowd moved to an elegant formal dinner to unwind. Over great food and great company, the conversation naturally turned from casual banter to real opportunities.

Away from the stage, founders, investors, and creative leaders exchanged ideas, built valuable industry connections, and explored future possibilities for collaboration in a relaxed setting.

What FuturePlay Means for Pakistan’s Gaming and Animation Sectors

The success of the FuturePlay Investor Summit marks a pivotal moment for Pakistan’s gaming and animation sectors. Historically, local talent in these fields operated primarily as outsourced service providers for overseas studios. CEGA’s incubation framework is actively changing that narrative by empowering local creators to own, build, and monetize their own original IPs.

By uniting state-backed infrastructure, global technology partners like Sony, and direct pathways to private capital, CEGA is establishing a repeatable, sustainable pipeline for creative tech entrepreneurship. As the eight startups from Cohort One finalize deal terms with interested investors and publishers, they pave the way for a self-sustaining ecosystem that positions Pakistan as a serious player on the global creative map.

Join the Next Wave of Game Changers (It’s 100% Free)

Ready to take your game or animation project from a raw concept to an investor-ready studio?

CEGA provides fully funded, 100% free incubation—giving selected startups complete access to high-end rendering studios, industry mentorship, and publishing networks without taking equity. Applications for Incubation Cohort 3 open this September 2026! Visit our official website at www.cega.com.pk to explore our centers and prepare your application. Don’t miss out on cohort updates, founder spotlights, and event announcements—follow @cegaofficialpk across Instagram, LinkedIn, and X to stay connected!