Nexus signs MoU with Dubai Media Council to publish Dubai-made games globally

South Korea's Nexus (ONE Corp) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Dubai Media Council to support the emirate's games industry, covering global publishing, local studio development, investment and in-game economies.

The deal, reported by Financial Today and dated October 30, 2026, pairs Nexus's local business operations and global distribution reach with Dubai's state-backed plan to scale its gaming sector. The agreement does not disclose a financial size.

What does the partnership cover in practice?

Four workstreams sit at the core of the MoU:

• Global distribution and publishing for games developed in Dubai.
• In-game payment systems and virtual economy infrastructure.
• Direct support for local studios.
• Identification of investment opportunities in the emirate's sector.

Nexus will run distribution through ONE Store, its app-store subsidiary. That network gives Dubai-based developers a route to international markets. Nexus will also supply technical support for in-game payment systems and virtual economies, the mechanics that underpin monetization in free-to-play and live-service games.

CEO Jang Hyun-guk framed the deal as an upgrade of existing ties. "This agreement serves as an opportunity to expand the cooperation foundation established in Dubai into a government-level strategic partnership," he said.

"By combining ONE Store's distribution network with Nexus's publishing capabilities, we will support local developers in opening up global markets."

Why Dubai, and why now?

The MoU did not appear from nothing. Nexus signed a partnership with the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) in October 2025. Since then, it has built local operations through its subsidiary Nexus Hub. The new agreement lifts that commercial relationship to government level, with the Dubai Media Council as the state counterpart.

Dubai has a fixed target. The Dubai Gaming Industry Development Program, known as DPG33, aims to place the city among the world's top 10 gaming cities by 2033. The program carries two headline numbers: 30,000 jobs created and roughly $1 billion in GDP contribution.

Those figures are government targets, not forecasts. They define the scale of state appetite for foreign partners with distribution muscle.

What does this change for studios and publishers?

For Dubai-based developers, the mechanism is concrete. ONE Store's distribution network becomes an export channel, and Nexus publishing capabilities attach to it. Studios in the emirate gain a partner that operates payment infrastructure and virtual economy tooling, not just a marketing relationship.

For Nexus, the move deepens a Middle East foothold at a time when Gulf states are spending heavily to build domestic creative industries. The DMCC partnership laid commercial groundwork. The Media Council MoU adds government backing and a formal role in a national development program.

For global publishers, the signal is competitive. Dubai is courting distribution partners early, and a Korean platform operator has now taken a designated seat in that pipeline before Western rivals did.

The open question is execution. An MoU is a statement of intent, not a contract with committed capital. Neither side has disclosed funding amounts, headcount or specific titles. The next milestone worth watching is whether the agreement converts into signed publishing deals for named Dubai studios, and how quickly ONE Store distribution actually reaches international storefronts.