Imagine a Dubai retailer asks your two-person studio to build a game for a product launch. The brief sounds straightforward. Players explore a virtual shop, find three hidden items and unlock a new room. Then, just before you send the quote, the client asks, “We’ll get the project files too, right?”
That question changes what you’re selling. Building a playable level is one job. Handing over editable files, getting permission to reuse an artist’s work and keeping the game running after launch are separate commitments. If you’re starting a game studio in Dubai, your first client brief is a useful place to work out what your company will actually do.
Dubai already has a real example of this kind of creative work. On 2 November 2026, the DMCC Gaming Centre and Wild Unlimited announced Dubai Developed in Fortnite 2033, an experience that lets players explore Dubai landmarks and destinations inside Fortnite. For a founder, the interesting detail is the format. A studio can earn its first fee building an experience for someone else, well before it has an original game of its own to sell. Read the DMCC announcement.
Write down what your first invoice will say
“Game development” is a reasonable description for your website. Your first invoice needs more detail. Try writing a single sentence that names the buyer, the work and what the buyer receives.
| If your studio plans to… | A useful description to discuss with the licensing authority |
|---|---|
| Build a game for a brand | “A retailer pays us to design, build and test a playable level for its launch campaign.” |
| Release its own game | “We develop our own puzzle game and earn revenue when players buy it.” |
| Publish another developer’s game | “We handle release and promotion for another developer and receive an agreed share of sales.” |
Take the description that fits your first project to the authority you’re considering. Ask which activity covers that work and whether anything you plan to charge for separately, such as publishing or ongoing campaign management, needs another activity or approval. Get the answer in writing before paying for a package. A&A’s guide explains how to compare your proposed work with an authority’s activity descriptions. How to choose a business activity for your Dubai trade licence.
Give the client something specific to approve
Go back to the retailer’s brief. What counts as a finished level? Your producer might picture a tested build ready for the client’s review. The retailer might picture a public launch, a trailer for social media and someone available on launch night. Both readings are plausible if the quote just says “complete game experience.”
A clearer scope might read: “We’ll deliver one playable level with three product interactions, a private test build and two rounds of revisions. Your marketing lead will approve the final build. We’ll quote separately for a launch trailer or changes requested after approval.”
Put payment dates beside the milestones. If the client controls the account used to publish the experience, agree who will submit the build and what happens to the final invoice if the client moves its campaign date. That conversation is easier before your artist has booked two weeks for the project.
Decide what goes in the handover folder
The client may need editable project files so another developer can update the level next season. Your studio may want to reuse the inventory system it built before this commission. Settle both points while pricing the work.
Walk through an actual handover list together. It might include the playable build, editable level files, original artwork and a short guide to making updates. Mark any third-party assets, fonts or music, and check their terms before promising the client it can reuse them elsewhere. If a freelancer made the soundtrack, for example, can the retailer also use it in a paid video ad? Ask before the track makes it into the trailer.
There’s a practical detail worth settling here too: whose account will own the published project? An otherwise tidy handover can stall when the only person with access is a contractor who has moved on.
Budget through the first payment
A licence quote tells you part of what it costs to open the studio. It won’t tell you how much cash you need to finish the first build.
Sketch the next few months week by week. Put the company registration payment, workstations, software and contractor deposits on the dates you expect to pay them. Add visa and workspace costs that apply to your team. Then enter the date you reasonably expect the first client payment to reach your account. Try moving that payment back by a month. Can you still pay the artist who delivered on time?
When comparing setup quotations, ask for first-year and renewal costs separately. If you’re starting with two founders and remote contractors, price that team first. You can ask for a second quote showing what changes when you hire your first employee.
Bring the brief to your setup consultation
You don’t need a finished game or a long pitch deck to have a useful first meeting. Bring a one-page description of what you’ll build, who will pay for it, who will publish it and who needs to work from Dubai. A draft invoice or client brief is often more useful than a slide showing where you hope the studio will be in five years.
A&A Associate can use those details to help you compare company formation routes and identify the activity questions to confirm with the licensing authority. For the wider registration process, see our guide to business setup in Dubai.
