True Gamers Secures $5M Seed Round to Expand Esports Cafés Worldwide

Editorial Team

Last updated 30-04-2025

3 min

True Gamers is revolutionising gaming cafés by integrating esports with coffee culture.

They secured a $5 million seed funding to expand in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe.

Following a $45 million raise, they plan 150 new venues in Saudi Arabia by “Vision 2030.

” They will enhance their digital platform for gamers to access events and track leaderboards.

With esports booming, True Gamers is set to open more cafés in the UAE, Morocco, and Europe.

When you think about cafés, it's likely cappuccinos or flat whites that spring to mind—not epic battles on Fortnite or League of Legends. Yet, ever since 2022, True Gamers, an Abu Dhabi-based company, has been turning that notion completely on its head by creating spaces designed specifically for gaming enthusiasts.

Earlier this week, True Gamers successfully closed a seed funding round, raking in a tidy $5 million. The fresh injection of cash is set to accelerate their growth plans both regionally and internationally, particularly across the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. True Gamers isn't your average company—they run esports-focused spaces where players grab a coffee, settle into their consoles, and get immersed in multiplayer battles and competitions in a thoroughly sociable environment.

Interestingly, this is their second significant fundraise this year alone. Just four months back, the company pulled in an impressive $45 million aimed at launching more than 150 esports venues across Saudi Arabia, closely aligned with the Kingdom’s “Vision 2030” initiative. For those of us keeping tabs at Arageek, such bold moves clearly showcase how rapidly the region is diving into the competitive gaming market.

With a clever hybrid approach combining franchising opportunities with risky yet rewarding ventures into fresh territories, True Gamers plans to expand its footprint significantly. The funding will also help beef up their digital platform, making it easier than ever for keen gamers to access events, keep track of leaderboards, and engage with other players online.

Founded by entrepreneurs Anton Vasilyenko and Vladislav Belyanin, True Gamers currently runs 14 gaming cafés in the UAE, with another ten branches soon to open their doors in places like Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, as well as into European markets like Germany and France. Not bad for a two-year-old business!

What's fuelling this rapid growth? It probably boils down to the region’s insatiable appettite for esports. Industry analysts predict the Gulf's esports market alone will hit a valuation of around $25.9 million by 2025, with user numbers reaching 5.9 million gamers by 2029. Crucially, this surge is being largely supported by government-backed programmes like Saudi Arabia's ambitious “Vision 2030,” which sees esports not just as a pastime, but as a powerful means of engaging young people and enhancing digital innovation.

Clearly, True Gamers is riding the crest of a gaming wave, and if this latest round of funding is anything to go by, it seems like only a matter of time before you’ll stumble upon one of their gaming cafés near you—perhaps sooner than you think.

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