By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
The experiential entertainment leader Falcon’s Creative Group has been tapped to create immersive experiences in New Murabba, a massive redevelopment of the downtown heart of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
New Murabba has now signed a long-term strategic agreement with Falcon’s “to create visionary concepts and immersive experiences” for The Mukaab, which is intended to be the centerpiece of New Murabba.
As a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund, New Murabba is tasked with spearheading Riyadh’s transformation, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, a national redevelopment program conceived by the Saudi government.
New Murabba says its strategy emphasizes human-centric development and global partnerships while mirroring local heritage. The aim is to offer ample community facilities in an inclusive and dynamic urban environment.
A major part of that is creating a sustainable downtown that offers residents a wide range of retail and entertainment options within just a few minutes walk from their homes.
To fulfill that goal, New Murabba has engaged Falcon’s Creative Group, a global leader in entertainment, in-person experiences, and design.
Michael Dyke, CEO of New Murabba, explained that this collaboration marks a key milestone in New Murabba’s mission to deliver a world-class urban experience, which is to be fueled by cutting edge new technologies and ‘turbo-charged’ by artificial intelligence.
Under this agreement, Falcon’s Creative Group will focus on developing The Mukaab’s immersive attractions, cutting-edge interactive environments, and integrated technologies.
“This agreement reflects the company’s commitment to partnering with global leaders in design and immersive storytelling,” Dyke says, adding “… this strategic partnership brings the company closer to realizing the vision of creating a next-generation urban destination that transforms how people live, connect, and experience the world around them, whilst transporting them to another world, using groundbreaking technology.”
The Mukaab, a neighborhood in Riyadh undergoing a massive redevelopment through the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative, is being presented as an “unprecedented urban experience, featuring groundbreaking architecture and innovative design, seamlessly merging reality with imagination, to create dynamic, and ever-evolving environments.”
At its core is another world – a transformative, multi-sensory realm that redefines human interaction with space, continuously pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
“The Mukaab is architecture with a soul,” said Cecil D. Magpuri, CEO of Falcon’s Creative Group. “We are more than just developing the story structure. We are creating an infinite storytelling ecosystem and shaping how people feel, connect, and dream within it.”
New Murabba is one of the flagship initiatives supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. It represents a pioneering urban model that seamlessly integrates residential, commercial, and entertainment offerings within a fully connected environment, reflecting the Kingdom’s ambitions for the future. The signing of this agreement follows the successful completion of excavation works at The Mukaab site, with over 14 million cubic meters of earth removed, a significant milestone that paves the way for the next phase of construction.
The New Murabba project is just one of several other initiatives like ‘The Line’, a linear city that looks like it should be in a sci fi blockbuster, and Neom, a project that is set to transform the Red Sea coast of northwest Saudi Arabia into a futuristic city. You can see a list of Saudi Vision 2030 projects at this link.
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Importantly for the licensing industry, New Murabba and other projects under the overall Saudi Vision 2030 project are heavily dependent on licensing of IP to create many of the location-based entertainment projects. It is already responsible for a surge in growth in licensing in the MENA region.
A good place to learn more about opportunities in MENA and Saudi Arabia will be the Licensing Horizons-Saudi Edition 2025 conference.
The conference, to be held in Riyadh on October 28, 2025, will gather leading voices from across the global licensing, media, entertainment, fashion, and retail industries to explore emerging opportunities in the region under Vision 2030.
Licensing Horizons is a partnership between BrandTrends Group and BBM Licensing Agency.
The conference, to be held in Riyadh on October 28, 2025, will gather leading voices from across the global licensing, media, entertainment, fashion, and retail industries to explore emerging opportunities in the region under Vision 2030.