Shaviyani Games, a Maldivian game development studio building games in Dhivehi for local families and casual games for the global market, has secured two awards at Maldives Expo 2026, taking First Place in the ICT – Games category and Second Place in the overall ICT category.
The awards were presented at the Expo's awards ceremony on 24 October, the evening before the exhibition opened to the public. Maldives Expo 2026, organised by the Ministry of Economic Development, Transport and Trade in collaboration with the Business Centre Corporation (BCC), was held from 25 October to 2 November at Central Park, Hulhumalé. The largest exhibition held in the Maldives to date, it brought together 430 participants and more than 4,400 products across seven districts. Shaviyani Games exhibited in the Digital & Innovation district.
The recognition highlights the growing potential of locally developed digital products and the creative technology industry in the Maldives, where game development remains an emerging field.
A Stall Built for the Players
For Shaviyani Games, Maldives Expo was an opportunity to connect directly with the people who use its games. The studio designed its stall as a play space rather than a product showcase: a children's table with tablets sat beneath a screen playing a video of Shaviyani Games, drawing in parents and passers-by as the children played. The backdrop reproduced the app's own world of sky, hills, coconut palms and its turtle mascot, and QR codes took visitors directly to the App Store and Google Play.
The stall attracted visitors of all ages, with particular excitement from children who were already familiar with Shaviyani Games. Many recognised the game on sight and asked to play it by name, while the exhibition introduced it to many families discovering it for the first time.
Watching both groups play side by side gave the team direct evidence of which games children return to, where they get stuck and what parents ask for next. These observations now feed directly into the studio's development process.
Fathmath Ibrahim (Fathun), Co-founder and CEO of Shaviyani Games, said:
"One of the most rewarding things about participating in Maldives Expo was meeting the children who are actually playing Shaviyani Games. We had kids coming to our stall who already knew the game, recognised it and were genuinely excited to play. That connection is something you cannot fully understand from downloads or analytics. It was equally exciting to introduce the game to new families and see their reactions. The awards are certainly an honour, but the opportunity to connect with our users made this experience even more meaningful."
Building Games with a Local Identity
Shaviyani Games started with a simple idea: making learning the Dhivehi alphabet more engaging and enjoyable for children through mobile gaming.
Its flagship product, Shaviyani Games, takes children aged 3 to 8 through 26 interactive games covering all 24 letters of the Thaana alphabet, helping them recognise each letter, associate it with words and learn through play. The application features native Dhivehi pronunciation, is available on both the App Store and Google Play, and offers subscriptions payable in MVR through local payment options, making it accessible to Maldivian families at home and in the diaspora.
The studio has also expanded its portfolio with Bottle Flip Rush, a one-thumb arcade game released on the App Store for a global audience and the first title in its second product line of casual games for the world.
By developing its own games, artwork, animation and audio in-house, Shaviyani Games is building a homegrown studio capable of creating products for both local and international audiences.
Muizzu Abbas, Co-founder and CTO of Shaviyani Games, said:
"Locally developed games are still a new idea in the Maldives, so placing first in Games and second in ICT overall, alongside the strongest technology products in the country, means a great deal to us. It tells us that a small Maldivian studio can build something that stands on its own. Everything we observed at the Expo goes straight back into development, and our ambition is to keep building quality games from the Maldives that reach audiences beyond our borders."
Recognition for Maldivian Game Development
Winning First Place in the ICT – Games category and Second Place in the overall ICT category is a significant achievement for a studio in its first year, in an industry where locally developed gaming products are still emerging.
The awards recognise a product that combines technology, creativity and a distinctly Maldivian identity, and demonstrate the opportunities available to local developers to build products that address local needs while reaching a wider market.
The feedback gathered at the Expo is already shaping the studio's next titles, all currently in development:
Shaviyani Numbers, a companion to the alphabet app that teaches Dhivehi numbers through a collection of mini-games, with the same turtle guiding children through counting, tracing and colouring.
Akuru Drop, a Thaana block-puzzle game for older children and adults.
A story-driven game about a Maldivian hero, planned for mobile first so that it reaches as many Maldivian players as possible.
Beyond mobile, the studio's long-term ambition is to develop console games built around Maldivian culture and stories for a worldwide audience.
From a simple idea to make learning Thaana more enjoyable for children to an award-winning Maldivian gaming studio, Shaviyani Games is demonstrating that locally developed digital products can create meaningful experiences and compete on a larger stage.
Play Shaviyani Games
Shaviyani Games is available on the App Store and Google Play. Follow the studio at shaviyanigames.com and on Instagram.
