We’ve got a hot off the press news for you today, one that’ll give you some future foresight, especially if you’re interested in the Middle East and North Africa’s (MENA) gaming scene. DMCC, Dubai’s leading trade and enterprise hub, has just dropped their latest Future of Trade report, focusing on gaming and esports, and boy, do we have some figures to share!
According to the report, gaming revenues in the MENA region are on track to almost double by 2027. Yes, you read that right – double! By the time 2027 rolls around, we’re looking at a whopping USD 6 billion in gaming revenues. The big accelerators? Tech advancements, governmental backing, and a wider, more inclusive user base. And the leading trailblazers in the region? The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
On a global scale, the Asia Pacific remains the largest market, with China, the US, and Japan leading the pack. But make no mistake; the MENA region is revving its engines with 15% of the global player base. This growth is being fuelled by high levels of digital connectivity and an increasingly tech-savvy population.
Among the hot topics in the report, esports stand out. The esports segment in MENA is expected to see revenue growth of 23.3% between 2019 and 2024. Factors like the young demographic, international broadcasters, and sponsors’ engagement, and strong government backing, are all propelling this surge. In response, DMCC launched the Gaming Centre, in partnership with YaLLa Esports, in December 2022, a significant move to further boost the industry’s growth.
The report also stresses the importance of diversifying esports revenue streams and developing appropriate regulatory safeguards to create a business-friendly environment. This includes digital merchandising, loyalty programmes, training platforms for amateur gamers, smoother visa systems, and online safety in the digital gaming ecosystem.
International gaming developers have taken note of the exciting potential, with industry giants such as Ubisoft setting up shop in Abu Dhabi, Tencent and Riot Games making Dubai their MENA HQ, and Saudi Arabia including gaming as a core element of its Neom project with over $1.7 billion investments.
As DMCC works to solidify Dubai’s reputation as a global trade hub, the gaming sector’s growth seems to be a significant part of the plan. According to Ahmed Bin Sulayem, DMCC’s CEO, “Gaming has come to the fore of entertainment globally, driving rapid growth especially in the MENA region, which now constitutes 15% of the global player base. The rise of gamification in areas such as education, healthcare, and other sectors has demonstrated gaming’s role in facilitating economic activity more broadly. Ensuring the accelerated growth of the gaming sector will have a measurable impact on the future of markets around the world, as well as the future of trade. As DMCC seeks to solidify Dubai’s reputation as a global trade and economic hub, efficiently activating opportunities within the gaming sector will prove essential.”
If you’d like to download the report head over to https://www.futureoftrade.com/
So, there you have it, folks! The future is looking bright for the MENA gaming scene. Now, over to you. What are your thoughts on this exciting growth? Let’s get the conversation going in the comments below, or join the chat over at the Gaming.Buzz Community Discord. We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!