News

Dubai-Based Angel Investor Fuels Growth For GameCentric

The platform aims to triple its user base across the MENA region, a market projected to reach 88 million gamers by 2026.

Published

2 years ago

February 23, 2024

Joanna Melki

dubai-based angel investor fuels growth for gamecentric

GameCentric, a leading gaming platform in the MENA region, has secured a substantial USD 1.5 million (AED 6 million) investment from a Dubai-based Angel Investor, Bilal Merchant. The platform went live on December 1st, 2023, immediately following the funding round.

The infusion of capital strategically positions GameCentric to expand its platform and features beyond the GCC & MENA region, promising to redefine the gaming landscape for players worldwide.

Saad Khan, CEO of GameCentric, emphasized, “Crafting a robust vision for our platform, supported by a sound business model and a seasoned management team, resonated with the angel investor, like Bilal Merchant, who recognized the immense potential within GameCentric, which drove his decision to invest. Our aspiration is not just to be a gaming platform but a cultural phenomenon transcending borders. Collaboration with industry leaders, community-driven programs and an unwavering commitment to having the best user experience drives our future initiatives”.

GameCentric plans to integrate cutting-edge technologies to stay competitive and offer compelling propositions for brands and game publishers. By 2025, the company aims to become a web3 native platform, introducing digital assets such as cryptocurrencies.

Also Read: Top 10 Best Video Games Set In The Middle East

Supporting its ambitious expansion plans, GameCentric has gathered support from industry heavyweights, including LIV, the UAE’s first digital bank powered by Emirates NBD, and Saudi eSports organization POWReSports.

The platform is now poised for aggressive growth and market expansion over the next two years. The company aims to triple its user base across the MENA region and double its array of game titles, catering to both web2 and web3 genres. This initiative not only enhances the gaming experience but also offers innovative customer engagement opportunities for brands.

News

Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users

Google brings its latest image model to Gemini and Search, adding 4K output and tighter text control for regional users.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 27, 2026

Nour Nasir

Google

Google has opened access to Nano Banana 2 across the Middle East and North Africa, pushing its newest image model into everyday tools rather than keeping it inside the exclusive (and expensive) Pro tier.

The rollout spans the Google Gemini desktop and mobile apps, and extends to Google Search through Lens and AI Mode. Developers can also test it in preview via AI Studio and the Gemini API.

Nano Banana 2 runs on Gemini Flash, Google’s fast inference layer. The focus is speed, but also control. Users can export visuals from 512px up to 4K, adjusting aspect ratios for everything from vertical social posts to widescreen displays.

The model maintains character likeness across up to five figures and preserves fidelity for as many as 14 objects within a single workflow. This enables visual continuity across scenes, iterations, or edits — supporting projects like short films, storyboards, and multi-scene narratives. Text rendering has also been improved, delivering legible typography in mockups and greeting cards, with built-in translation and localization directly within images.

Also Read: RØDE Adds Direct iPhone Pairing To Wireless GO And Pro Mics

Under the hood, the system taps Gemini’s broader knowledge base and pulls in real-time information and imagery from web search to render specific subjects more accurately. Lighting and fine detail have been upgraded, without slowing output.

By embedding the model inside Gemini and Search, Google is normalizing advanced image generation for a mass audience. In MENA, where startups and marketing teams are leaning heavily on AI to scale content across languages and borders, that shift lands at a practical moment.

The move also folds creative tooling deeper into search itself, so that image generation is no longer a separate workflow. It now sits right next to the query box.