Throughout the world, there is a great variety of countries with different cultures and economic levels. In some cases, there is significant social inequality, while in others, a large proportion of the population appears to live in high society. Saudi Arabia, for example, has a high percentage of wealthy individuals, and the country’s riches allow them to invest vast amounts of money to achieve their goals. As a result, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman, considers himself a significant player in the gaming industry and has already begun investing billions to become a global gaming hub.
Video games have quickly become the entertainment industry’s most lucrative sector. Although they were not initially well-known, an increasing number of people have discovered video games as a new form of leisure over the years. Mobile devices have contributed significantly to the overall popularity of video games since their portability has made gaming more accessible than ever before.
It could be said that the two largest video game industries are the United States and Japan. While other countries like China have many game development studios, these mostly focus on mobile games and are restricted by the government. Saudi Arabia may not currently hold much relevance in the gaming world, but a few months ago, the country announced a $38 billion investment in developing console and PC games.
Being one of the world’s wealthiest countries, Saudi Arabia has invested billions in the sports and film sectors. Now, it is the turn of video games, and they are off to a strong start, acquiring mobile game developer Scopely for $4.9 billion. Additionally, they purchased SL and Faceit, two eSports organizers worth $1.5 billion.
Saudi Arabia aims to organize events and tournaments to promote eSports globally. They announced a $13 billion investment to acquire and develop a leading game publisher in the market. According to Brian Ward, a former executive at EA and Activision, Saudi Arabia is seeking to become a global powerhouse in video games. This investment will not only help them gain prominence globally but also establish a firm presence in the eSports business.
As the COVID-19 situation improves, events and tournaments are growing more popular. Saudi Arabian companies can provide the infrastructure and organization needed for these events, potentially making them highly popular attractions. Video games’ increasing relevance might even surpass traditional sports in terms of interest, and many companies and organizations would be more than willing to invest in such ventures.