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The “gaming and e-sports sector” in the UAE stands on the cusp of a new phase of growth and development as a result of future plans, initiatives and strategic partnerships that open a wide way towards the country becoming a global center in this sector by 2033.
A report issued by Statista Insights, a global platform specializing in data, revealed remarkable growth in the electronic games market in the Emirates, with expectations of a significant increase in the number of players and market revenues in the coming years to about $492 million by 2027.
He expected that the market, which includes the sectors of traditional electronic games and online games, will maintain a constant annual growth rate of 5.88% during the same period, with the number of users in the video game market increasing to 1.7 million users by 2027.
As part of this growth, the Emirate of Dubai launched the “Gaming Program 2033”, which aims to place the emirate among the top 10 global centers in the electronic games industry by 2033, and enhance its contribution to the growth of the digital economy and the emirate’s gross domestic product to about one billion dollars.
The program focuses on developing technical infrastructure, supporting emerging companies, providing incentives to attract global investments, enhancing local skills in game development, and providing support to small and medium-sized companies in this field.
The Dubai Electronic Games Visa was launched with the aim of supporting talents, makers and pioneers of the electronic games sector, and motivating them to develop and develop their skills, in addition to providing many investment opportunities aimed at helping them transform their innovative ideas into successful projects.
In this regard, Dubai announced that it will host the “Future Games 2025” in the fall of 2025, in light of ambitions to provide up to 30,000 new jobs related to the electronic games sector by 2033, which reveals the extent of the support that the sector enjoys in the emirate.
In turn, the electronic games sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi continues its global competitiveness, by attracting the most prominent developers and publishers of talent in this field.
Last March, the Abu Dhabi Investment Office announced its support for the efforts of Tamatem Gaming Company, the leading company in developing Arabic gaming content for mobile devices, and moving its headquarters to Abu Dhabi, which supports the company’s future growth and expansion phase, and enhances the prosperity and development of the electronic gaming sector in the emirate.
The gaming sector in Abu Dhabi includes more than 70 companies specialized in content development, and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office aims to support this system through strategic partnerships, which are in line with Abu Dhabi’s trends seeking to consolidate its position as a global destination for innovation and technology.
Abu Dhabi Investment Office had previously cooperated with UBSoft, which is one of the largest companies specialized in developing, publishing and distributing video games for electronic gaming devices, in addition to computers and mobile devices.
Faisal Al-Zaidi, President of Xscape, the leading interactive media platform that integrates digital virtual games, said that the “Future Games 2025” event is a pivotal milestone, as it represents an ideal opportunity to showcase innovations in the fields of digital games and the metaverse, and expand the company’s presence at the global level.
He added that through the company’s participation in this event, it seeks to strengthen its leadership in developing advanced solutions in the world of interactive games, and creating unique digital experiences that combine the physical and virtual worlds.
He explained that the event is a strategic opportunity to communicate with industry experts and leading companies, which contributes to driving innovation and growth, and consolidating the company’s position as a key player in the future gaming industry.
In the same context, “Company True Gamers “, the leading international network of e-sports clubs, announced plans to develop the first e-sports island in the world in Abu Dhabi, which includes a luxury hotel (with a unique concept), high-tech venues for gaming tournaments, professional training facilities, and content creation spaces. The project costs more than $280 million and will be the first to Its type worldwide.
Last July, Abu Dhabi hosted the official events of the largest university e-sports competitions in the region, as part of a cooperation agreement between the Emirates E-Sports Federation and Mena Tech Entertainment (the tournament organizer), to encourage initiatives related to the world of electronic games and technology in the university system.
In Sharjah, the activities of the second edition of the Shams Electronic Games Championship, which was held last December, attracted a large number of electronic games fans.
The events were characterized by the participation of entrepreneurs and small business investors, who are looking to benefit from the accelerated growth of the e-sports industry in the country in general.
