IDDA has started a partnership with Xsolla, a leading company in the gaming industry

The Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDIA) signed a partnership agreement with Xsolla, a global commercial platform for game creators, on December 17, 2024. This partnership provides Azerbaijani game studios with training, technology, financial resources, and access to the global market. This company, which covers 72% of all payment transactions in the global gaming industry, also announced its investment in the Azerbaijani gaming sector.
Touching on the prospects of cooperation with the company, IDIA Chairwoman Inara Valiyeva said that Azerbaijan has seen an increasing dynamic in the development of the gaming industry in recent years: “We can confidently say that the gaming industry in the country is on the rise. Our goal is to give impetus to this development by bringing global players to Azerbaijan. Cooperation with Xsolla will accelerate the implementation of innovations, contribute to the development of human capital, and at the same time, an infrastructure project will be implemented by establishing an educational academy.”
Yevgeniya Bikmurzina, Head of the Innovation Ecosystem Department at IRIA, emphasized the importance of the partnership with the company in the context of the development of the local gaming industry: “This cooperation will create broad opportunities for the implementation of a number of joint projects and will give impetus to the development of the gaming sector in the country. Our game studios will have access to education, technology and financial resources to become recognized in the global market."
The prospects for cooperation with "Xsolla" were previously announced at a press conference held within the framework of "Gamesummit Winter Edition 2024". The conference also reported on the planned establishment of the "Xsolla StarNest Academy", which will provide training in the field of game development in Azerbaijan. The academy will be established within the framework of the partnership between "Xsolla" and the Azerbaijani company "StarNest", and IRIA will support the strategic development of this academy. In addition, it is planned to launch an incubation program for local game studios in 2025. Thus, game studios selected for the program will receive support from international experts, present their games to the general public and will be able to obtain financial support for business development.
IRIA has also signed an agreement with the "Gamesummit" organization. Within the framework of cooperation between the Agency and "Gamesummit", 10 events will be held to educate the public about game technologies and attract young people to the innovation sector planned.