Ziad Elgabaly

Role: Chief Executive Officer, Tafra Games

Location: Egypt

Background

Ziad Elgabaly is the Chief Executive Officer of Tafra Games, an independent game studio based in Egypt and founded in December 2020. The studio initially focused on mobile games for the global market, using a market validation process to test projects before deciding which titles should move toward global launch.

Tafra's Zombie Survivor! was globally launched in partnership with Lion Studios and had surpassed 3 million downloads across Google Play and the App Store at the time of a 2024 interview with Elgabaly.

Elgabaly has also prioritised local talent and community development, with Tafra organising community gatherings and game jams to support Egypt's games development community.

Current Focus

Tafra Games has now expanded into PC and console development, following through on the longer-term goal Elgabaly outlined in 2024.

The studio is currently developing Beyond Grief, an action roguelike set in ancient Egypt. Players battle gods, grow increasingly powerful through build-breaking synergies, and experience a cycle of killing, dying and being reborn while earning allies, making enemies and befriending cats.

The game is scheduled to be officially announced on September 23rd, 2026.

Industry Position

Elgabaly has been vocal about the opportunity for locally developed games to grow the Egyptian and wider MENA games market. He believes the region's consumer market has significantly more potential than its current size suggests, but argues that local studios need to develop games specifically designed for regional audiences.

His approach distinguishes between generic localisation, which primarily translates a game into different languages, and "authentic localisation", where local culture influences gameplay, characters, plot, visuals and sound.

He has also identified funding as a major challenge for MENA studios. At the time of the 2024 interview, Tafra's funding had come from outside the region, with Elgabaly arguing that limited games-industry experience among local investors made it difficult for studios to secure appropriate funding.

What He Is Open To

Tafra is now pursuing PC and console development alongside its experience in mobile games, with Beyond Grief marking the studio's move into the space Elgabaly identified as a long-term ambition in 2024.

The studio is also focused on developing games that can connect with audiences both locally and internationally, while continuing to build from Egypt.