Mobile gaming ‘to drive esports in Saudi Arabia’
With its recently announced Qiddiya City, a sprawling gaming and esports district, as well as the Esports World Cup set to take place in Riyadh this summer, Saudi Arabia has further solidified the Kingdom’s intention to become a global gaming destination.
Fabio Tambosi is the senior VP of global marketing at ESL FACEIT, a gaming and esports company acquired by Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group — which is 100 percent owned by the country’s Public Investment Fund — for $1.5 billion in January 2022. He spoke to Arab News about the rapidly growing industry.
“Saudi Arabia is a country of the young, and gaming is a part of daily lives, shaping the society today. With around 70 percent of the population under the age of 35 and around 67 percent of the demographic being gamers, half of them women, gaming and esports are a fabric of life,” Tambosi told Arab News ahead of his appearance at Dubai Lynx 2024 Festival of Creativity, set to take place on March 5.
Tambosi said events such as Gamers8 and the Esports World
Cup would open up opportunities for game developers, publishers and other stakeholders to innovate and create experiences that resonate with the preferences of Saudi gamers.
But the real driver of esports and gaming in the region would be mobile gaming, Tambosi said. “With 93 percent of Saudi demographics owning a mobile phone, mobile games have become a new and exciting form of entertainment, with players engaging in social gaming experiences, and connecting with friends online,” he said.
“This mobile gaming trend has also contributed to the growth of esports and competitive gaming, offering players a clear path to pro play.”
When asked about what surprised him about the Saudi gaming industry, Tambosi pointed to diversity and representation, as well as Saudi gamers’ interest in diverse gaming genres.
“Women represent 48 percent of the gaming population in the Kingdom; the industry is actively engaging in fostering and inspiring the next generation of women leaders and esports athletes, hosting women-only qualifiers and tournaments,” he said.