Saudi Arabia has cemented its position as a major player in the global gaming industry with the $55 billion acquisition of Sims and Battlefield-maker Electronic Arts, marking its biggest step yet toward Vision 2030’s digital diversification goals.
The influence of Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia, is steadily growing in the global video game market, which is expected to reach $600 billion within the next five years. Industry data from Grand View Horizon shows the market’s value rose from about $300 billion in 2024 to $337 billion so far in 2025.
Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), has been the driving force behind this expansion, making high-profile investments in major gaming companies and initiatives tied directly to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 plan. The National Gaming and Esports Strategy (NGES), launched in 2022, positioned gaming as a key sector in the kingdom’s economic diversification agenda.
The landmark purchase of Electronic Arts for $55 billion through a Saudi-led consortium, with PIF as the largest investor, became the biggest gaming deal since Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the developer behind World of Warcraft and Call of Duty.
Through Savvy Games Group, a PIF-backed entity, Saudi Arabia has also made significant inroads into the global e-sports scene. The group bought Los Angeles-based Scopely for $4.9 billion and previously acquired two major tournament organisers, ESL and FaceIt, for $1.5 billion combined.
Saudi Arabia’s ambitions have been showcased through initiatives such as the Gamers8 festival, which began in Riyadh in 2022 and has since grown into one of the world’s premier e-sports events. Its 2023 edition featured an unprecedented $45 million prize pool, setting a record in competitive gaming.
The kingdom’s focus on gaming reflects both cultural and demographic realities. Research cited by the law firm Bird & Bird shows that between 67% and 89% of Saudis regularly play video games, with nearly half of Saudi women identifying as gamers—far above the global average.
As Saudi Arabia deepens its investments, its growing footprint in the gaming industry signals a strategic shift not only toward economic diversification but also toward shaping the future of global entertainment.
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has outlined an expanded vision for the Zangezur Corridor, describing it not simply as a transport route connectin...
An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk killed an eight-year-old child, injured others and damaged resid...
President Donald Trump has said the U.S. has “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran warns the key waterway will not reopen while Washing...
One hundred years after the First World War and more than eighty years after the devastation of the Second World War gave rise to the United Nations, humanity once again finds itself living in an age of permanent crisis.
Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must meet other conditions.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Iran to pay compensation for decades of deaths and damage, adding a new demand to peace talks as Tehran seeks compensation and sanctions relief before reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
A criminal court in Damascus has sentenced former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russia is preparing to deploy additional North Korean forces on its territory and has received more ballistic missiles from Pyongyang, arguing that their growing military cooperation poses a threat beyond Ukraine.
Millions of people across Spain and Iceland are preparing on Wednesday to witness a rare total solar eclipse, when the moon will pass directly between Earth and the Sun, briefly turning daylight into darkness along a narrow path.
Ukraine has agreed to refrain from targeting certain tankers using Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk following a request from U.S. Vice President JD Vance, the Financial Times reported, although Kyiv has continued strikes on Russian targets at the port.
Taiwan has criticised a planned joint naval exercise involving China and Indonesia near its eastern waters, describing it as a politically charged move designed to strengthen Beijing's claims over areas surrounding the island.
An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk killed an eight-year-old child, injured others and damaged residential buildings, port infrastructure and grain facilities, Russian officials and industry sources said on Wednesday.
Romanian military divers have destroyed two Gerbera-type drones found drifting near the Neptun Deep offshore gas development in the country’s Black Sea exclusive economic zone.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment