The gaming market in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region is expected to increase 19 per cent to over $5 billion by 2025, according to a June report by consultancy firm RedSeer. The region's gaming community is also projected to reach 20 million over the same period. A large part of this growth has been attributed to an increase in spending by current gamers, time spent in-game by users in addition to surging advertisement revenue.

In February, Saudi Arabia's aspiring tech hub NEOM announced a joint venture with Dubai-based MBC group to create "the first AAA games development studio in the region", which will "produce high-production-value games for local, regional and international gamers". The kingdom has already made several high-profile acquisitions and investments of prominent gaming developers and brands.

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