Market researcher Niko Partners has released a new report. According to the published report, an increase in the number of players and game revenue is expected in major Middle Eastern countries by 2025. According to the report on the MENA (Middle East North Africa) market, the Saudi Arabian game market alone reached $1 billion in 2021.
The game industry is expected to grow rapidly in major Middle Eastern countries by 2025. According to Niko Partners, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt will reach a total of 85.8 million players by 2025 and generate $3.1 billion in-game revenue.
According to VentureBeat news, the report focuses on the countries named MENA-3 (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Egypt) by Niko. In addition to these countries, a survey was conducted on 3000 players living in the region, and the Gulf Countries, North Africa, and Jordan were examined.
MENA-3 game revenue was $1.76 billion in 2021. According to the report, this number is expected to increase exponentially to $3.14 billion by 2025. It is predicted that 65.32 million players in 2021 will increase to 85.76 million by 2025.
Saudi Arabia is the largest gaming market of the Arabic-speaking nations in MENA. Its population is large, and its spending power is high. For these reasons, Saudi Arabia provides the highest gaming revenue in the region. The United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, is representative of smaller gulf countries.
Egypt, one of the other important countries, has an active and competitive gaming community. In terms of the number of players, the biggest market of MENA-3 is Egypt. In the country, the spending rate per user is increasing. In addition, games and esports activities are supported by the state. The number of players in the country is also increasing day by day.
About half of the MENA population is under the age of 25. Games play an essential role in entertainment, and most of the region’s population has grown as “digital natives.” Governments in the region continue to work to support the game industry. Here are some of the game policies in Saudi Arabia and UAE:
- Game localizations are supported.
- Local game studios and developers are supported.
- International game companies are supported to open new studios and offices in the region.
- Incentives are given for hosting esports tournaments.
The report states that more player spending is made in Saudi Arabia and UAE. On the other hand, Egypt has lower player spending but has more players. Incentives in the region continue in the field of esports. For example, Saudi Arabia has included activities for esports in its 2030 vision.
