Built in Abu Dhabi
Sanddrifter Studio is an independent game development studio based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. We make games we genuinely want to play.
We started because we grew tired of games that feel hollow. Games designed around metrics instead of the experience of actually playing them. Games that follow every trend and surprise nobody. We wanted to make something different, and we had the taste to know what that meant.
We are small by design, not by accident. Every game we release is something we fought to make. We are based in the UAE, a region that is only beginning to find its voice in the global games industry. That does not worry us. It is exactly the kind of challenge we were made for.
How We Work
The Reaction
Games started feeling like content, produced on a schedule, designed to occupy rather than engage. Sanddrifter is a response to that.
Clear Intent
Every design decision has a reason. We ask whether something serves the player before we ask whether it scales.
Player Respect
We design for curiosity. A player who understands something they were not explicitly taught feels capable. We build for that feeling.
Deliberate Growth
We are not trying to grow fast. We are trying to grow right. A complete, self-contained game is worth more than a sprawling one that has forgotten what it is.
The People
Small by design. Everyone here is working on something they care about.
Rashed Alfahim
The studio exists because of Rashed's frustration with modern games and his conviction that something better was possible. He leads creative direction: shaping vision, tone, and intent, and works with people who are better than him at execution.
Imran Farooq
Imran builds the systems that bring the design to life. He translates intent into mechanics and keeps the technical architecture sound as the studio grows.
A Note from the Founder
"Sanddrifter didn't start as a business plan. It started as a reaction."
Join the Caravan
We are a caravan in motion. The work continues. There is always room for one more.
Intentional Design
01: The Core Foundation
Every choice we make is deliberate. We build games with a clear point of view, ensuring that every system and story beat has a purpose.
Creative Restraint
02: The Art of No
We care just as much about what doesn't belong in a game. We prioritize pacing and restraint over endless, exhausting content.
Respect for Curiosity
03: Empowering the Player
We respect the player's time and curiosity. We build systems that unfold through understanding rather than repetitive busywork.
Cultural Roots
04: Authenticity
Our narratives are drawn from the deep well of Gulf folklore and regional history, creating experiences that feel both authentic and universal.
The Reaction
Milestone: June 2025
Sanddrifter did not start as a business plan. It started as a question: why does playing games feel like work? The idea for the studio began here.
First Experiments
Milestone: July 2025
Work began on Sijen: Chaos Board, an attempt to understand why a traditional Gulf board game works, what it is missing, and what it could become on a screen.
The Studio
Milestone: October 2025
Sanddrifter Studio was formally established in Abu Dhabi, UAE. A licensed company. A real commitment.
Development Begins
Milestone: December 2025
Full development on Sijen: Chaos Board started. Two developers. A clear brief. A game that respects the player's time.
Sijen Launches
Milestone: June 2026
Sijen: Chaos Board is released on iOS and Android. The first game. The first proof.
Intent Over Noise
Sanddrifter didn't start as a business plan. It started as a reaction.
I've been playing video games for most of my life. Many of them shaped how I think, how I create, and how I understand worlds. For a long time, games felt purposeful. Focused. Designed with a clear point of view. You could feel the intent behind them, even when they were rough around the edges.
Over time, that feeling became harder to find.
Modern games aren't worse. They're often bigger, more polished, and more technically impressive than ever. But many of them feel stretched thin, overdesigned, and hesitant to say no. I found myself losing interest quickly, even in games that were critically praised. Not because they were broken, but because they felt exhausting rather than engaging.
That disconnect is what led to Sanddrifter.
I'm not a game developer by trade. My role is creative direction: shaping vision, tone, and intent, and working with people who are better than me at execution. I care deeply about what belongs in a game, and just as much about what doesn't. About pacing. About restraint. About respecting the player's time and curiosity.
Sanddrifter exists to explore that philosophy through games.
We want to build experiences that reward commitment without burning players out. Systems that unfold through understanding rather than repetition. Games that don't try to occupy every spare moment, but instead leave something behind when you step away.
This studio is being built deliberately. Slowly. With constraints. That's a choice, not a limitation.
Not every project needs to be massive. Not every idea needs to scale. Some games should stand on their own, complete and self-contained. Others might grow beyond their original form. We're interested in that kind of growth only when it adds meaning.
If you've ever felt that games could be quieter, sharper, or more intentional than what you're used to seeing today, then Sanddrifter is being built with that feeling in mind.