BAKU, September 11
Azerbaijan is exploring the creation of a regional hub for game development in partnership with Xsolla, the global commerce platform for games, following talks between Digital Development and Transport Minister Rashad Nabiyev and Xsolla president Chris Hewish. The discussion covered new areas of cooperation, including the prospect of upgrading Xsolla’s local office into a regional research-and-development hub, the state news agency said.
Nabiyev also flagged the idea publicly, writing that the sides exchanged views on “transforming Xsolla’s office in our country into a regional R&D hub,” after a meeting in Baku.
Oyun yaradıcıları üçün qlobal kommersiya platforması olan “Xsolla” şirkətinin prezidenti Kris Hevişlə görüşdük. Görüşdə Azərbaycanla şirkət arasında əməkdaşlıq imkanlarını müzakirə etdik. Həmçinin “Xsolla”nın ölkəmizdəki ofisinin regional tədqiqat və inkişaf “hub”ına çevrilməsi… pic.twitter.com/WrsA8DCXl2
— Rashad Nabiyev (@RashadNNabiyev) September 10, 2025
The move would build on Xsolla’s StarNest Academy and incubator initiatives in Azerbaijan, which aim to train 90 young developers and support local studios with mentorship, financing access and routes to global publishing networks. Those programs, announced at the end of 2024 and rolling out through 2025, are being developed with StarNest and the Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDDA).
Why it matters
A dedicated hub in Baku could centralize payments, distribution, monetization and live-ops tooling for emerging studios across the South Caucasus and Central Asia, while anchoring talent pipelines created by academy and incubator programs. The plan also aligns with Azerbaijan’s broader push to position Baku as a regional tech node and logistics center.
Neither side announced timelines or investment figures; Xsolla and the ministry said they would continue working-level consultations.
