Saudi Arabia is understood for oil, affluence, and, more and more, as a digital hub for know-how progress. The nation seems to be eagerly embracing its excessive profile amongst know-how watchers, significantly within the cell and gaming areas.

However, within the cell gaming business, there may be one Saudi knowledge level that will get everybody’s consideration: US$270.00, the typical income per paying consumer (ARPPU) for cell gaming. For context, China, thought-about wealthy territory for cell gaming, has an ARPPU of solely US$32.00. Saudi affluence considerably ideas the scales for sure cell recreation metrics in MENA, driving explosive progress for merchandise that catch on with players.

It’s no shock then that Saudi Arabia, the biggest nation within the MENA area, is an especially enticing marketplace for cell gaming corporations. The pandemic solely intensified present progress tendencies: Saudi Arabia, together with Kuwait and Israel, noticed the biggest beneficial properties 12 months over 12 months in cell recreation shopper spend in 2021, in response to Newzoo.

Facts and figures

Driven by slightly below 21 million cell players, Saudi Arabia’s cell video games market was projected to generate greater than $520 million in 2021 (by way of shopper spending), in response to Newzoo. Newzoo additionally notes that the complete Saudi video games market (together with cell, console, and PC) was projected to generate $946 million by way of shopper spending in 2021, which means cell video games accounted for round 55% of shopper spending.

A current survey of 1,195 cell players who’re energetic web customers (aged 10-50) and dwelling in residential, developed areas in Saudi Arabia revealed different attention-grabbing tidbits:

• Nearly 60% of respondents spent cash on cell video games.
• Saudi players are demographically fairly various: roughly 42% of respondents have been feminine, and 45% have been aged 21-35.

The tendencies in gaming in Saudi Arabia haven’t escaped the eye of startup corporations and traders. As Arab News reported, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has mentioned his ambition to see 30 aggressive video games developed by in-country corporations by 2030 – all a part of the nation’s nationwide gaming and esports technique.

This month, cell recreation developer, writer and investor Sandsoft introduced the opening of a Riyadh studio, creating over 80 profession alternatives and marking step one in Sandsoft’s funding into the MENA ecosystem. And in September 2022, Savvy Games Group, owned by the sovereign wealth fund PIF, introduced that it plans to speculate 142 billion riyals (US$37.8 billion) in initiatives to make the dominion a world hub for gaming. Just final week, it was revealed that the corporate is planning to accumulate an as-yet-unnamed video games writer for $13 billion.

Visit the area in individual to search out out extra

Savvy Games Group’s division, Nine66, is the principle associate behind our personal Leaders Summit, going down on 31 November and 1 December. The summit is sponsored by Sandsoft. It’s an opportunity to find the area within the firm of CEOs and decision-makers. Meet and join with 150+ senior leaders, and stay up for the applied sciences and enterprise fashions that can form each this area and the broader world video games business within the a long time to return.

Enjoy the gorgeous and distinctive location of Riyadh, with night dinner exercise included in addition to a desert expertise with buggies, camels, falcons, meals and leisure. The restricted VIP ticket possibility additionally consists of entry to a luxurious VIP sky field on the Soundstorm music pageant!

And earlier than that, we’re additionally operating PGC Jordan once more, an exquisite return to the nation after the pandemic. The main worldwide video games business convention, Pocket Gamer Connects, caters for a full cross-section of the video games business, welcoming over 700 delegates to collect close to the fantastic Dead Sea.

Attendees from all world wide will hear from 100 of the business’s main authorities, sharing perception and case research into the video games business. They will profit from the MeetToMatch assembly platform, for locating important enterprise connections. And there will probably be an expo space with new video games and companies on present. The venue is about three hours’ drive from Petra, a real surprise of the world.

Every day this month we’ll be publishing extra articles in regards to the MENA area, together with country-specific overviews on this sequence. This article is an up to date have a look at Saudi Arabia, first coated by our writers in 2019.