"We need our own gaming brands," — Abdavali Khaidarov on the development of GameDev in Uzbekistan

Abduali Khaidarov, City — Tashkent, Chairman of Uzbekistan Creative Association

About Me

In recent years, my activities have been focused on developing areas such as game development, animation, VFX, and other creative technologies. We collaborate with government organizations, international companies, investors, professional associations, universities, and local creative studios. Through our activities, we help local studios and specialists integrate into the global ecosystem, expanding their opportunities to participate in international projects, secure orders, attract investment, and enter new markets. Additionally, we facilitate the introduction of foreign experience into Uzbekistan, launch joint initiatives, and create new opportunities for education and professional development for young specialists.

My primary task is to strengthen cooperation among all participants in these processes, support new initiatives, and promote Uzbekistan’s potential in the field of digital creative industries on the international stage.

It is impossible to develop the game development or animation industry with the efforts of a single studio or individual specialists. This requires a unified system where qualified personnel, strong education, funding, international experience, infrastructure, publishers, and market access opportunities work together.

We strive to form such a system by conducting forums, international meetings, educational programs, acceleration initiatives, and maintaining constant dialogue between industry representatives.

Career Path

My career began in the field of information technology, education, and innovative projects. Working in these areas, I had the opportunity to study the experience of various countries, international organizations, and technology companies.

Over time, I realized that the creative economy is a full-fledged economic sector that creates significant opportunities for exports, investment attraction, and job creation. I was particularly interested in game development because it combines technology, art, and business. In the process of creating a game, programmers, artists, animators, designers, screenwriters, marketers, and business development specialists work together. This not only creates a new product but also forms an entire creative ecosystem.

It was then that one of the main directions of my activities became the introduction of international experience into Uzbekistan, establishing connections between local specialists and foreign markets, and facilitating the systematic development of this industry.

Today, we are working on several key initiatives.

Within the framework of GameFest Uzbekistan, we bring together local and international game studios, investors, publishers, and leading industry specialists on one platform. GameJam gives young teams the opportunity to turn their ideas into real game projects, while GameFund is aimed at financial and expert support for promising game developments.

Additionally, we are developing incubation and acceleration programs for young teams and studios. We are also launching joint projects with foreign companies, professional associations, and educational institutions in the fields of GameDev, animation, and VFX.

Central Asia Game Alliance is an international initiative created to unite game and creative ecosystems of different countries in the region, develop international cooperation and experience sharing, support talents, and promote local studios to the global market.

Within the International Cooperation Framework for the Development of the Game & Creative Industries, we are working on forming long-term cooperation mechanisms between international organizations and representatives of the game and creative industries.

How GameDev is Developing in Uzbekistan

Working with young programmers, artists, designers, and animators within various educational and technological projects, I saw that Uzbekistan has strong human potential. Many young specialists quickly master complex technologies, create original ideas, and strive to develop high-quality products. The main problem was not a lack of talent, but limited access to practical experience, mentorship, funding, and opportunities to enter the international market.

Then I realized that we need not just new courses or individual events. We need a holistic system that will accompany talented young people at all stages of their development, starting with education, then helping to form a team, create a product, attract investment, and bring it to the international market.

The most important achievement is that today game development in Uzbekistan is perceived as an independent and promising economic sector.

A few years ago, most people considered game creation merely a hobby or pastime. Today, this field is discussed as a serious industry in which government organizations, universities, investors, international companies, and young specialists participate. Meetings with representatives of international companies are held, forums and festivals are organized, new educational programs are launched, and local studios participate in international events. Most importantly, a constant dialogue has formed between the state and the private sector regarding the development of the industry.

This is not the final result, but a foundation for forming a large industry. True success will be achieved when local studios begin to earn steadily on the international market, and games created in Uzbekistan reach a global audience.

What Skills are Necessary for Developing Game and Creative Projects

GameDev is a complex industry that combines technology, design, art, storytelling, marketing, and business. Therefore, along with technical knowledge, creative thinking, the ability to analyze problems, understand user needs, and work effectively in a team are extremely important.

Additionally, it is necessary to master foreign languages, keep up with international trends, be able to present your work, and constructively accept criticism. In this field, technology and the market change rapidly, so a specialist who is not ready to constantly learn will find it difficult to remain competitive.

The main qualities for working with international partners and investors are reliability and professionalism.

International partners pay more attention not to your presentation, but to how responsibly you fulfill your promises. It is important to respond promptly, adhere to agreements reached, openly discuss emerging problems, and take responsibility for the result.

Furthermore, do not view cooperation as a one-time project or an opportunity to gain short-term benefits. The strongest partnerships arise when parties understand each other's goals, culture, and approaches to work.

How the Industry is Developing in Central Asia

The game industry in Central Asia is still forming. There are already successful teams and projects, but a full-fledged ecosystem is still developing. At the same time, the region has great potential: a young population, high interest in IT, and rapid development of digital skills.

The next step is to improve the quality of specialized education, support local studios, develop investment, and strengthen cooperation with international companies. With systematic work, Central Asia can become one of the promising regions on the global GameDev map.

The main challenge today is the lack of experience and international connections. It is not enough to create a good game — it is important to understand how to bring it to the global market, find a publisher, attract users, and build monetization. This is why the region needs to actively cooperate with international mentors, investors, publishers, and game studios.

Another important task is the creation of original intellectual property objects. We should not limit ourselves to fulfilling orders for foreign companies. We need our own heroes, stories, and game brands that will be recognizable in the global market.

In recent years, we have held meetings with companies and professional associations from India, China, the USA, Turkey, South Korea, Japan, and European countries. They view Uzbekistan primarily as a country with young and quickly learning specialists, developing IT infrastructure, favorable conditions created by the state, and as a convenient entry point to the Central Asian market.

Now we need to turn this interest into real joint projects, investments, international orders, and new jobs.

In the coming years, Central Asia can become one of the new regions that will attract the attention of the world game industry. For this, we have all the necessary prerequisites: talented youth, developing IT infrastructure, high interest in creative professions, state support, and growing interest from international companies.

However, potential alone is not enough. It must be turned into real results through quality education, professional management, investment, international cooperation, and the creation of products that meet the requirements of the global market.

I am confident that within the next 5-10 years, studios achieving international success, original IP, and export-oriented games will appear in Central Asia. Uzbekistan, thanks to strong specialists, a developing ecosystem, and international connections, is capable of becoming one of the key centers of this process.

A true indicator of ecosystem maturity will be the transformation of international cooperation into practical projects, the creation of new companies and jobs, and the successful entry of local products into the global audience.

Advice for Beginners

Do not wait for the perfect moment — start creating projects now. Participate in hackathons, game jams, build your portfolio, and do not be afraid of mistakes. The first project does not have to be successful, but practice helps you grow faster.

It is equally important to be part of the professional community, study the experience of other developers, and work in a team. In GameDev, real projects and a strong portfolio are valued much higher than a diploma.

Today, you can learn independently: educational platforms for Unity and Unreal Engine, open projects on GitHub, international conferences, and GameJams are available. In Uzbekistan, the CreativeTech platform also operates, where you can master GameDev, animation, VFX, 3D, and other creative fields.

The main thing is to choose a specialization, practice regularly, and work on your own projects. Mentors and a team of like-minded people will help significantly accelerate professional growth.

Plans

My main goal is to ensure that international cooperation is not limited to memorandums, but leads to the launch of joint projects, the creation of new jobs, and the development of exports.

We plan to expand partnerships with leading world companies in the field of GameDev and creative technologies, help local studios enter the international market, and attract foreign companies to Uzbekistan.

Another important task is to build a system that will unite education, internships, incubation, and employment of young specialists. In the future, we want games, animation, and other creative products created in Uzbekistan to become increasingly recognizable worldwide.