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AppsArabia, the Middle East’s first and only investment fund created with the sole purpose of developing apps for the region, today announces that its first app, Kalimat, a fun and collaborative iPhone game, has been completed and will be available for download from the App Store by mid February.

Dubai based entrepreneur, Farès Fayad, successfully applied for funding from AppsArabia and the app was developed by local app developers Piranha Byte. Kalimat, a highly addictive multiplayer word game with a difference, has two different game play styles so players can challenge friends in local “pass & play” mode or they can challenge friends or random players via the internet.

Wayne Borg, Chief Operating Officer, twofour54, said: “The launch of Kalimat, marks a new milestone for both AppsArabia and twofour54 as it represents locally developed content which will have a mass appeal not only in this region, but also internationally. That AppsArabia was able to draw on the skills of the talented individuals that have been a part of the wider twofour54 success story – intaj and ibtikar creative lab, is testament to the effective and supportive ecosystem which we are building here in Abu Dhabi.”

“We at twofour54 and AppsArabia would urge anyone with the passion for an app with commercial appeal to approach AppsArabia in order to turn great ideas into world class content.” added Borg.

Designed specifically for the iPhone, the launch of Kalimat will coincide with an online video campaign, focusing on the story of the two central characters Kali and Mat over several episodes. The campaign, scripted and filmed by UAE based Arab students follows the hilarious ups and downs of Kali and Mat’s relationship, as a result of Mat’s addiction to Kalimat.

Commenting on the launch of Kalimat at the Dubai World Gaming Expo, David Ashford, General Manager of AppsArabia, said: “I am delighted to be able to showcase our first app to consumers and to the industry. Working with an entrepreneur based in the region and local developers to create Kalimat has shown that within the Middle East there is the talent and the passion to create world class content that is relevant to the audience, and most importantly fun.”

Ashford added: “Creating the online video campaign about Kali and Mat was a great experience. We shot the footage in the UAE, using scripts developed by students studying at university here, and the filming was all done using twofour54 intaj equipment, staffed by the emerging talent which is really beginning to make the most of twofour54’s grant funding initiative, creative lab.”

AppsArabia is a twofour54 investment fund that is facilitating the development of a sustainable app development industry in the MENA region. To date, AppsArabia has made seven investments and development is well underway for these apps. There’s also a healthy pipeline of further projects for a mix of entrepreneurs and leading brands across Apple, Blackberry and Nokia smartphone platforms. In order to support the growth of an app development industry, www.appsarabia.com has been set up to provide a marketplace for all stakeholders in apps development – entrepreneurs, designers, developers and corporate clients.

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