‘Collaboration key for regional Esports to flourish’
INTEGRATION, collaboration, and connectivity across multiple stakeholders in the eSports ecosystem are vital for the sector to reach its undoubted potential in the Middle East, according to senior officials from QUEST Esports, one of the leading esports organizations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Latest data forecasts the value of gaming in the MENA region to reach US$ 5 billion by 2025. Still, QUEST Esports CEO Elie Honain insists more needs to be done for the esports ecosystem to truly flourish, starting with publishers embracing the Middle East, alongside public-private sector collaboration.
“Publishers are the core of esports; this is the struggle we have had over the past decade with the majority of them not having a presence here. Publishers need to consider relocating or opening up offices in the Middle East to spur regional competition growth, and so we’re not always feeding into EU tournaments,” said Honain, who was speaking at the inaugural Initiate Summit, part of the first Dubai Esports Festival at Expo City, Dubai.
“Federations also need to collaborate with publishers to help grow the regional scene. In addition, if we look at interconnectivity and how some countries do not even have access to fibre optic internet, there isn’t an even playing ground. If publishers show faith in the region by investing, this will have a knock-on effect on telecommunication
QUEST Esports CEO, CSO discuss issues and growth potential for thriving sector at Dubai Esports Festival
and governments to push investment in infrastructure and connectivity,” added Honain.
“We need to show potential partners and sponsors that there are opportunities here when getting involved in Esports – and governments can help. Saudi Arabia is a great example of how to promote the fact you are building an ecosystem. Because we have a presence there, we have received so many enquiries about how to get involved,” added Honain.
Meanwhile, Elie Gemayel, Chief Strategy Officer at QUEST Esports, participated in a panel discussion looking at where and how fans engage with content and admitted the industry must up its game.