The Hub is aiming to accelerate the industry’s anticipated growth, with the number of professionals working in the field in Abu Dhabi expected to triple to 16,000 over the next 10 years.
Twofour54 Abu Dhabi has announced that Yas Creative Hub, the home for Abu Dhabi’s media, gaming & entertainment sector, will open its doors with a diverse group of global companies, SMEs and freelance professionals in Q4 2021.
The Hub is aiming to accelerate the industry’s anticipated growth, with the number of professionals working in the field in Abu Dhabi expected to triple to 16,000 over the next 10 years.
The 2.9 million sqft sustainable development creates a gathering place where such established industries as content creation, broadcast media and advertising will sit side by side with innovation sectors such as visual effects and video game development.
The size of 40 football pitches, Yas Creative Hub will provide production facilities, next-generation connected technology and flexible workspaces allowing partners of any size to create videos, graphics, animations, digital content and more on-site.
Yas Creative Hub will also be home to a gaming Centre of Excellence that provides the game development industry in the region with unparalleled on-the-ground support to students, professionals and small businesses throughout the Middle East and Africa.
The Hub will be integrated within a fully walkable, landscaped campus that includes parks, cafes and restaurants, wellness facilities, an outdoor amphitheatre, rooftop terraces, and direct pedestrian access to Miral’s iconic Yas Bay Waterfront and Etihad Arena.
It has been designed by MZ Architects, the creators of Aldar’s HQ. Construction work is 75% complete and on track for the official opening of phase one of the campus in Q4 2021 when twofour54’s existing community of over 600 companies and 5,000+ professionals will relocate to the new campus. CNN, Ubisoft and Unity Technologies are among the companies are already confirmed to join Yas Creative Hub next year.
Commenting on the Hub, HE Mohammed Al Mubarak, Chairman of twofour54 Abu Dhabi, said: “We are experiencing an exponential expansion in the creative industry. New technologies have enabled an explosion of content and platforms, transforming what it means to be creative and giving each of us the power to create and consume content. Yas Creative Hub will be a driving force in the evolution of Abu Dhabi’s own creative economy, bringing together a large and diverse community of skilled professionals in a stunning campus development purpose-designed to spark innovation and collaboration.”
Michael Garin, CEO of twofour54 Abu Dhabi, added: “Yas Creative Hub brings to life the essence of Abu Dhabi’s creative ecosystem: connectivity, flexibility, and community. It will be a flagship destination where creative businesses and entrepreneurs will create an agile workplace that suits their business and their team, join a vibrant community with shared aspirations, and turn good ideas into a game-changing reality.
“Yas Creative Hub will be the home to a powerful cluster of creative sector giants, harnessing non-stop access to technology, content, creativity, talent development opportunities, and a gateway to a huge regional audience with an insatiable appetite for quality content. Given the changing circumstances driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, we are pleased to say that Yas Creative Hub is the newest office of the future, rather than the last office of yesterday.”
