AstroLabs partners with IMPACT46, in collaboration with PLAYHERA, to release the flagship
2023 Saudi Gaming Market Outlook Report.
● 81% of surveyed gamers and game developers in Saudi Arabia are highly
optimistic about the growth of the gaming industry in the upcoming year.
● More than 60% of Saudi gamers and game developers showed strong
confidence in government support as the most significant opportunity for the
growth of the electronic gaming sector in 2023.
● The local game development ecosystem remains ripe with opportunity, with
almost 80% of surveyed game producers having up to 5 years of experience
in the industry.
● The report also revealed that while the majority of surveyed Saudi gamers are
spending up to 20 hours of gaming a week on their favorite platforms, 51% of all
survey respondents believe that there’s a high demand for
locally-developed mobile games.
● Locally developed Mid-core mobile games seem to be Saudi’s next frontiers,
as expressed by 54% of survey respondents.
● The report collated insight from 130 surveyed gamers and game
developers in Saudi Arabia to identify the most attractive opportunities for the
industry.
Saudi Arabia, 14 June 2023 – AstroLabs partners with IMPACT46, in collaboration with
PLAYHERA, to release the flagship 2023 Saudi Gaming Market Outlook Report. This
first-of-its-kind report provides a comprehensive outlook on the Saudi electronic gaming
potential directly from the market, with in-depth insight from local gamers, game developers, and
industry pioneers.
The report collated insight from 130 surveyed gamers and game developers in Saudi Arabia to
identify the most attractive opportunities for the industry. It offers a deep dive into the interests
and habits of gamers and evaluates the skills and capabilities of game developers. Additionally,
the report highlights the sentiment within the Saudi Arabian gaming ecosystem, gauging
perspectives around critical topics such as government support, funding, infrastructure, and
market opportunities.
The extensive report found that the conditions of high growth for the Saudi electronic gaming
market are significantly favorable following the latest boost of global interest in the sector as
supported by the Saudi Vision 2030 mandate. The survey found that 81% of gamers and game
developers in Saudi Arabia are highly optimistic about the growth of the gaming industry in the
upcoming year. This comes as a result of heightened global and local investment in the sector
where the Saudi government remains the highest protagonist.
Following a bold integration of electronic gaming into the Saudi 2030 Vision’s economic
diversification and employment growth mandates and the subsequent launch of the Saudi
Esports Federation, the Saudi government remains the most significant enabler of the sector.
More than 60% of Saudi gamers and game developers exhibited confidence in government
support, with the majority believing that government investment is the biggest opportunity for the
growth of the electronic gaming sector in 2023.
The government support of the sector has been a Kingdom-wide effort where key stakeholders
like the Savvy Games group, the MCIT, and even Giga projects like NEOM have built their own
support streams in the form of investment, acceleration, and skill building. These initiatives offer
great promise for the Saudi gaming industry, as the report shows that more than half of
surveyed game developers are, in fact, self-taught.
Accelerating current studios and upskilling talent at a national level present core opportunities
for the growth of the Saudi gaming sector. This is intensified by the ripe and relatively young
ecosystem of game developers in Saudi Arabia, where almost 80% of surveyed game
producers had up to 5 years of experience in the industry. Nonetheless, revenue generation
remains a high priority, as the report shows that 48% of surveyed game developers do not
generate any regular income from their work in the industry.
The report also revealed an almost equal split in popularity of PC and PlayStation as gamers’
favorite platforms in Saudi Arabia. Interestingly enough, while the majority of surveyed Saudi
gamers are spending up to 20 hours of gaming a week on their favorite platforms, 51% of all
survey respondents believe that there’s a high demand for locally-developed mobile games. The
rapidly growing sector has generated great success for Saudi developers like UMX Studio,
which constituted 1 of 5 case studies in the report. Locally developed Mid-core mobile games
seem to be Saudi’s next frontiers, as expressed by 54% of survey respondents.
The Kingdom’s recent announcement of investing $38 Billion into its gaming industry through its
Public Investment Fund aims to establish the Kingdom as a global hub for electronic gaming.
Being one of the largest consumer markets of electronic games in MENA, the Saudi gaming
ecosystem exhibits many remarkable feats, including its young population, competitive
infrastructure, and unprecedented support. The 2023 Saudi Gaming Market Outlook is not only
a testament to the richness of the industry’s potential, but more importantly, it provides a
powerful tool of knowledge for effective global and local investment to build the next wave of
Saudi gaming success.
