What makes Saudi Arabia the GCC gaming industry’s hotspot

What makes Saudi Arabia the GCC gaming industry’s hotspot

What makes Saudi Arabia the GCC gaming industry's hotspot

DUBAI: Recent research shows that video gaming can unlock massive business potential for telecom operators in the GCC bloc's rapidly growing gaming market. And Saudi Arabia is well placed to become a leader in the field as its gaming community looks to gain recognition internationally.

At the global level, gaming championships are becoming as important as any competitive sports events. Amid global coronavirus restrictions, online gaming has helped millions of people stuck at home maintain and build relations.

On a regional level, a new study by Strategy& Middle East, part of the PwC network, suggests that the gaming market in Saudi Arabia will expand rapidly and become the largest among the GCC countries.

Industry observers consider the phenomenon remarkable given the UAE's leading position in the GCC gaming market as of 2018 and eSports' relatively recent emergence in Saudi Arabia, spurred on no doubt by the social changes being ushered in by the Vision 2030 reform plan.

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The Strategy& Middle East report, titled "Skin in the Game,“ showed the GCC gaming market to be undergoing expansion at such a rapid pace that it could be worth $821 million by 2021 - up from $693