Why bother with the demanding oil industry when you can profit, without much effort, from human weaknesses and desires? This is the logic of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, who aims to dominate the global video game market. The Arab sheikhs quickly realized that excess oil profits can be invested in a lucrative market for gambling and video games. The video game industry reaches 200-300 billion dollars, surpassing the combined income of cinema, television, and music, at least in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia's investments
As part of the Vision 2030 strategy, Saudi Arabia has decided to invest by any means necessary. In September, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), in collaboration with the investment firm of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump, announced the acquisition of Electronic Arts (EA) for 55 billion dollars. Simultaneously, the international gathering Kingdom of Gaming, the largest in the history of the region, will be held in Riyadh in 2026. Savvy Games Group, under the auspices of the PIF, had already invested 1.5 billion dollars in 2022 to purchase esports companies, acquiring 40% of the industry. However, gaming investments are not without risk. The market is volatile, and massive sums do not guarantee success, as demonstrated by the failure of the game Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves by SNK Corporation, despite the participation of famous footballer Cristiano Ronaldo in its promotion.
The country of gamers
Despite ambitious investments in projects like the ultra-luxurious megacity The Line and the entertainment complex Qiddiya, many works remain in early stages or are at risk of being frozen. Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia, with a youthful population—70% of whom are under the age of 35—and 23.5 million gamers, continues to invest steadily. It considers the video game and esports market a fundamental pillar of its economic strategy and its influence on the global map.
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