Rising Star – Yasmeen Abbas, product manager at Sandsoft

Yasmeen Abbas, product manager at Sandsoft, tells us about being brave, jumping in to learn, and then specialising later

How did you break into games?

It’s a lovely coincidence! In 2015 I was riding a bus through an area with lots of offices, and a guy who happened to work in the games industry spotted my notebook. On it was written ‘gaming lab’, a Jordanian initiative to educate youngsters to develop games – shout out to Nour Khrais! The mystery figure on the bus asked if I’d be interested in a career in games, and I jumped at the opportunity to join their company as a Unity developer. In the end I didn’t feel coding was my thing, so I moved into product management, which I’m enjoying every moment of. 

What has been your proudest achievement so far?

I’ll have to sneak in two! In 2020, I became the first Jordanian female to produce and present a show about mobile games and anime, in a six episode series on Roy’a TV. I was also invited to discuss the mobile gaming market live on Almamalaka TV in 2022. Secondly, I’m really proud of bringing a mobile strategy game back from the dead in 2019 using liveops and store features. At the time I was working at a struggling startup gaming company and it was a welcome revenue boost for us. 

What has been your biggest challenge to date?

Managing a game that doesn’t fit the preferences of its target audience. As a product manager, it’s very challenging to meet KPIs when the core game isn’t right for the intended audience. 

What do you enjoy most about your current role?

Many things! Every day brings new tasks and challenges as I work across and evaluate different game genres. It’s also fun to simply be working with other enthusiastic people in the games industry. I’ve enjoyed games since I was six years old, so working in this industry as an adult is something that I’m really grateful for. 

What’s your biggest ambition in games?

It’s my ambition to work on a game that becomes one of the MENA region’s top 20 highest-grossing titles for at least six months. I would also like to hold a leadership position in the games industry, where women are still underrepresented, particularly in senior roles. Women In Games reports that only 16% of executive positions at the top fifteen largest gaming companies are held by women. 

What advice would you give to someone else aspiring to work in games?

Start out in a startup so you can learn about different aspects of how games are made and make money, before specialising later. Be brave and ask questions to the experienced people you work with; using these insights, you can learn and grow. Take the time to explore new roles to find what fits you best!