Scoring the right goals
Gulf Business|December 2020
A multi-billion-dollar industry and an enthusiastic audience. The script for gaming in the GCC writes itself.
DAVID NDICHU
Scoring the right goals
A recent report by Frost & Sullivan lays bare the potential for gaming as an economic catalyst. According to the research firm, gaming in the MENA region is estimated to be worth $4.5bn. The number of Middle East gamers is believed to be over 100 million.

The GCC will account for about 1.5 per cent of the global gaming market revenue by 2025, the report adds. It places Saudi Arabia in the 19th position globally in gaming revenues in 2019, at an estimated $837m. The sector is expected to grow at a 22.5 per cent CAGR over 2019-2025.

The UAE on the other hand ranks as the 35th largest gaming market in the world in terms of revenue as of 2019. Gamers in the UAE spend an average of 30 minutes per day on mobile games, the report added.

Revenues from the global gaming industry are estimated to be larger than those of worldwide box offices, music streaming and album sales combined. To tap into this potential does however require substantial investment in infrastructure – both virtual and physical, a fact not lost on regional policymakers and investors. Existing and planned facilities put the GCC at the centre of this multi-billion-dollar industry.

In Saudi Arabia, the upcoming $500bn hi-tech city of NEOM will have dedicated gaming/esports facilities, after the developer signed a memorandum of understanding with the Saudi Arabian Federation of Electronic and Intellectual Sports (SAFEIS).

In Dubai, the TECOM Group plans to put up the Dubai X-Stadium, a dedicated esports venue it hopes will establish the emirate as a regional and global hub for hosting gaming events. Technical details have not been released, but renders envisage a futuristic stadium shaped like a giant overturned cone, connected by arcades catering to the wider ecosystem.

Esta historia es de la edición December 2020 de Gulf Business.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición December 2020 de Gulf Business.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE GULF BUSINESSVer todo
Green lights
Gulf Business

Green lights

It hasn’t even been a full year that Stellantis, one of the world’s biggest auto companies, has been in existence. Still, its wheels are spinning furiously. Here’s what it has in store for the region

time-read
6 minutos  |
December 2021
Purpose through corporate responsibility
Gulf Business

Purpose through corporate responsibility

Every organisation must deeply reflect about whether they are leaving behind a legacy or a liability, says Abdulaziz AlSowailim, EY MENA chairman and CEO

time-read
5 minutos  |
December 2021
Analysing the layers of a coconut
Gulf Business

Analysing the layers of a coconut

When we have a sense of clarity as to our purpose in life, then we institute the correct practices and habits around us, and set realistic and achievable results

time-read
3 minutos  |
December 2021
DUNES TO DOMINION
Gulf Business

DUNES TO DOMINION

FOR A COUNTRY RICH IN TRADITION AND DRIVEN BY AMBITION, THE UAE’S JOURNEY DURING THE PAST 50 YEARS HAS BEEN UNPRECEDENTED. WHAT’S IN STORE FOR THE NEXT 50?

time-read
9 minutos  |
December 2021
Building strong
Gulf Business

Building strong

International investors are boosting Dubai’s residential property market, which has rebounded strongly from the Covid crisis, writes Aarti Nagraj

time-read
3 minutos  |
December 2021
CHASING THE AMERCIAN DREAM
Gulf Business

CHASING THE AMERCIAN DREAM

FOR SHAI ZAMANIAN, THE US IS A LAND OF LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES, AN AVENUE HE AIMS TO OPEN FOR FAMILIES WORLDWIDE VIA IMMIGRATION. HERE’S HOW HE IS BRINGING HIS GOAL TO FRUITION

time-read
6 minutos  |
December 2021
OBITUARY: JOCELYN HENDERSON (1921-2021)
Gulf Business

OBITUARY: JOCELYN HENDERSON (1921-2021)

THE GRANDE DAME OF ABU DHABI – THE WIFE OF A FORMER DIPLOMAT – PASSED AWAY IN THE UAE CAPITAL AGED 100

time-read
3 minutos  |
December 2021
THE DIGITAL DISRUPTORS
Gulf Business

THE DIGITAL DISRUPTORS

IN THE COMING YEARS, THE GCC IS EXPECTED TO PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN SECTORS SUCH AS HEALTHCARE, MANUFACTURING, EDUCATION AND RETAIL, WHICH WILL HELP BOOST THE GROWTH OF ITS NON-OIL ECONOMY

time-read
7 minutos  |
December 2021
Signed, sealed, delivered
Gulf Business

Signed, sealed, delivered

Nicolas Baretzki, CEO of Montblanc, partnered with one of the world’s most recognisable luxury brands, Ferrari, earlier this year. Here’s where the partnership, and the German company as well, is headed next

time-read
6 minutos  |
December 2021
UP, UP AND AWAY
Gulf Business

UP, UP AND AWAY

AS THE FIRST IN-PERSON AIRSHOW TO TAKE PLACE SINCE THE OUTBREAK OF THE PANDEMIC, THE EVENT SAW SEVERAL DEALS ANNOUNCED

time-read
4 minutos  |
December 2021