Saudi Arabia is undergoing a significant shift. The nation is adopting competitive video gaming, which not only offers many young Saudis a novel kind of entertainment but it is also a chance to boost the local economy. Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud has been a big fan of competitive gaming himself playing Call of Duty, Valorant, and a number of other popular titles.
With 465.1 million viewers in 2021, the number of viewers for global esports increased 6.7% year over year. According to Statista, esports’ commercial revenue will increase by over 50% from $1.08 billion in 2020 to $1.62 billion in 2024. The esports business has seen continuing investment thanks to the anticipated increase in revenue.
KSA has the highest revenues in eSports
According to the Arabic Gulf States Institute in Washington, Saudi Arabia is predicted to earn $1.62 billion from esports revenue in 2024 alone, and that is only the beginning.
Saudi Arabia initially took its time embracing eSports, but now it regularly hosts top-tier competitions for video games such as FIFA, PUBG, Fortnite, League of Legends, Dota 2, and others. While some events are still off the radar, the kingdom’s interest in video games is unquestionably rising.
Call of Duty and Overwatch Leagues are also keen to include more teams from the country but going international requires a massive logistics effort. In the meantime, though, Saudi Arabia is currently earning well from the existing eSports infrastructure that is already in place. The best online eSports betting sites are already featuring events, thus the market for competitive gaming is expanding.
Betting on Saudi Arabia’s eSports events is also becoming more and more popular in North America and Europe, where customers and followers are eager to check out the gaming schedule and place bets when the chance arises. The kingdom is somewhat reticent to engage in this activity, although it is actively seeking to increase the number of S-tier competitions.
However, Saudi Arabia is also gaining from video games in other ways. One of those strategies is the kingdom’s current appeal to global gaming corporations. The nation is investing $37.8 billion to woo more businesses, and top talent as well as to make a general transition away from its reliance on the oil industry.
What will the country focus on next?
With Saudi Arabia clearly having a decent stake in eSports, the question that most people are asking is where is it headed next. The simple answer is that Saudi Arabia will continue to gain pace, but as the crown prince noted, this will not be dependent on just one element of the gaming experience.
Instead, Saudi Arabia will need to change, develop, and generally advance toward a future in which it excels in gaming on all fronts. The prince is keen to raise more money and promote his nation as an accepting and progressive location suitable for the top game developers in the globe.
The prince values this just as much as participating in and hosting some of the largest eSports competitions. However, Saudi Arabia would ideally like to host The International and League of Legends Worlds, the two most important esports competitions. Diplomacy and a dedication to upholding human rights will determine whether the nation is successful. This year’s FIFA World Cup will be held in Qatar, which is fantastic news for the region as it continues to develop and draw tourists from around the world for sport and entertainment.
Notable Saudi eSport Players
Abdulaziz Alshehri won the FIFA Interactive World Cup in 2015, making him the first Saudi to do it. Mossad Aldossary followed his success and was named the FIFA eWorld Champion in 2018. He also took first place in the 2019 FIFA Champion Cup. In 2020, Najd Fahd became the first Saudi woman to win an e-football championship by taking first place in the female category of the FISU eSports Challenge, a FIFA20 event.
Conclusion
Over the next years, Saudi Arabia will need to demonstrate that it is ready to adopt the game-centric culture of the rest of the globe, which encourages freedom of expression and shatters social stereotypes. It may seem like a difficult task for Saudi Arabia, but if it wants to become a global esports powerhouse, it must embrace the sport both physically and spiritually. It must decide what to do.
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