The e-gaming industry has been around for a long time now but it was in the peak of the pandemic when it reached its all-time high. The industry’s growth has been off the charts all over the world even outperforming sports and movies in 2020 as the biggest entertainment segment. The big question is: will this industry be a one-hit wonder? Is it only because the lockdowns forced people to stick with home entertainment? A quick glance on the figures will answer that. E-gaming hit a whopping value of $162.32 billion in 2020. But if we will look ahead in the next five years, it will be even more impressive at $300 billion. Definitely worth noting for investors looking to take advantage of a lucrative industry. The MENA arena The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) already home to diverse industries and e-gaming is among its newest headliners. In fact, Forbes recently reported Middle East to be one of the newest leaders in the gaming industry with a gaming revenue to hit $6 billion in 2021. E-sports or online competitive gaming is at the forefront of this boom. The reason? Aside from Middle East being one of the tech-savviest regions, it also has a young population hungry for e-sports. A research showed that there are over 100 million gamers in the Middle East alone. Rising opportunity But where does the biggest opportunity lie for e-gaming investors? It is in localising games. At the moment, there is a high penetration of video games in MENA but only 3% of the games are available in Arabic language – one of the top five languages in the region at 400 million speakers. Aside from competitive gamers, the MENA has a pool of talented gaming professionals who are well-equipped to develop, publish and distribute games that are not only suited for the market but speaks its language. UAE as the launchpad for e-gaming businesses Your ideal location to set up e-gaming business is the United Arab Emirates. Let’s take a closer look to know the reason. The UAE has a high mobile and internet penetration – a factor that is attracting tech firms from across the world and an aspect that is important to the e-gaming industry. In terms of ranking, the UAE is the 35th largest gaming market in the world in terms of revenue as reported in 2019 and gamers in the country spend an average of 30 minutes per day on mobile games. The UAE government also backs the development of the digital media and digital society. With support from the government, universities in the country are offering programmes in gaming to support gamers and the business community. A couple of gaming conventions and competitions have also taken place in the recent years, positioning the UAE as a regional hub for e-gaming. In 2020, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, inaugurated the first edition of the UAE Tolerance E-sports Games, which was open to gamers all over the world and launched in an aim to enhance the values of tolerance among the youth. Starting your e-gaming venture You can never go wrong when choosing the Emirates as the ideal ecosystem for your gaming venture. With the abundance of free zones in the UAE, investors are assured to experience a quick, easy and cost-effective business set-up. As an investors, it is best to shop around for the best e-gaming set-up package available in the market. There are several options for you to choose from with one of the packages that starts from AED 7,725 including a free three-year residency visa and other benefits. There is also an option for you to initiate and complete your business registration online. Now, that’s convenient! Without a doubt, e-gaming is the business of the future. So do not think twice and get started on your venture today.
The e-gaming industry has been around for a long time now but it was in the peak of the pandemic when it reached its all-time high. The industry’s growth has been off the charts all over the world even outperforming sports and movies in 2020 as the biggest entertainment segment.
The big question is: will this industry be a one-hit wonder? Is it only because the lockdowns forced people to stick with home entertainment? A quick glance on the figures will answer that.
E-gaming hit a whopping value of $162.32 billion in 2020. But if we will look ahead in the next five years, it will be even more impressive at $300 billion. Definitely worth noting for investors looking to take advantage of a lucrative industry.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) already home to diverse industries and e-gaming is among its newest headliners. In fact, Forbes recently reported Middle East to be one of the newest leaders in the gaming industry with a gaming revenue to hit $6 billion in 2021.
E-sports or online competitive gaming is at the forefront of this boom. The reason? Aside from Middle East being one of the tech-savviest regions, it also has a young population hungry for e-sports. A research showed that there are over 100 million gamers in the Middle East alone.
But where does the biggest opportunity lie for e-gaming investors? It is in localising games. At the moment, there is a high penetration of video games in MENA but only 3% of the games are available in Arabic language – one of the top five languages in the region at 400 million speakers.
Aside from competitive gamers, the MENA has a pool of talented gaming professionals who are well-equipped to develop, publish and distribute games that are not only suited for the market but speaks its language.
Your ideal location to set up e-gaming business is the United Arab Emirates. Let’s take a closer look to know the reason.
The UAE has a high mobile and internet penetration – a factor that is attracting tech firms from across the world and an aspect that is important to the e-gaming industry.
In terms of ranking, the UAE is the 35th largest gaming market in the world in terms of revenue as reported in 2019 and gamers in the country spend an average of 30 minutes per day on mobile games.
The UAE government also backs the development of the digital media and digital society. With support from the government, universities in the country are offering programmes in gaming to support gamers and the business community.
A couple of gaming conventions and competitions have also taken place in the recent years, positioning the UAE as a regional hub for e-gaming. In 2020, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, inaugurated the first edition of the UAE Tolerance E-sports Games, which was open to gamers all over the world and launched in an aim to enhance the values of tolerance among the youth.
You can never go wrong when choosing the Emirates as the ideal ecosystem for your gaming venture. With the abundance of free zones in the UAE, investors are assured to experience a quick, easy and cost-effective business set-up.
As an investors, it is best to shop around for the best e-gaming set-up package available in the market. There are several options for you to choose from with one of the packages that starts from AED 7,725 including a free three-year residency visa and other benefits. There is also an option for you to initiate and complete your business registration online. Now, that’s convenient!
Without a doubt, e-gaming is the business of the future. So do not think twice and get started on your venture today.
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