Gaming Riyadh offers record prize pool at Esports World Cup Riyadh will host the Esports World Cup this summer, offering a record prize pool of more than $70 million as the kingdom aims to become a global gaming centre. The tournament, which will run from July 7 through August 24, includes 24 games this season, adding chess and shooting games such as Crossfire, Fatal Fury: […] April 11, 2025
Opinion Gaming Saudi Arabia’s Pokémon Go deal is a gamechanger No longer a niche sector, gaming is driving the evolution of other cultural fields April 1, 2025
Gaming ‘Pokémon Go’ maker to sell game division to Scopely Niantic Labs has said it would sell its video game division to Saudi Arabia-owned Scopely for $3.5 billion as the US augmented reality company shifts focus to geospatial technology after failing to recreate the success of its 2016 smash hit Pokémon Go. The deal, announced on Wednesday, also advances Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to become the “ultimate […] March 13, 2025
Gaming Saudi company in talks to buy Pokémon Go maker Scopely, a video game developer and publisher owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, is reportedly in talks to buy the gaming division of the company that created Pokémon Go. The deal to acquire the video game business of Niantic, a company that develops augmented reality mobile games, could be worth $3.5 billion, according to […] February 19, 2025
Gaming Second casino in UAE not on cards, says Wynn’s CEO A second casino in the UAE is unlikely for quite some time, according to the man whose company is building the first gaming outlet in the Gulf. Wynn Resorts of Las Vegas last year won a licence to build and operate a casino in the UAE emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. Wynn CEO Craig Billings, […] February 18, 2025
Gaming UAE Lottery operator in talks to sell tickets in shops The UAE Lottery’s operator is in talks to sell tickets in shops across the country. The weekly draw and spin-off games were launched in December, for online play only. Bishop Woosley, director of lottery operations at The Game, which manages the draw, said discussions had been held with retailers to allow ticket sales as early […] February 4, 2025
Gaming PIF continues to trim stake in Japan’s Nintendo The Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, has further reduced its holding Japanese gaming company Nintendo. In the latest move, PIF cut its holding to 5.26 percent from 6.3 percent, the second reduction this month. The fund lowered its stake to 6.3 percent from 7.5 percent on November 13. The news comes despite comments […] December 3, 2024
Gaming PIF cuts stake in Nintendo as Switch sales slow Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has trimmed its holding in Nintendo, as the Japanese gaming company suffered a drop in sales for its biggest product. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund reduced its stake to 7.54 percent from 8.58 percent, according to a Japanese regulatory filing on Tuesday. The news of the cut comes just […] November 13, 2024
Gaming Wynn Resorts says UAE site will earn $1bn in gaming revenue Wynn Resorts estimates that gaming revenue from its forthcoming resort in Ras Al Khaimah will be between $1 billion and $1.66 billion, it revealed at an investor presentation. The range assumes a UAE market size of $3 billion to $5 billion and Wynn’s 33 percent share of it, based on two more integrated resorts eventually […] October 9, 2024
Gaming Wynn scores UAE’s first commercial gaming licence Wynn Resorts, the US hospitality group, has won the first commercial gaming operator’s licence in the UAE. The company, which has its headquarters in Las Vegas, is building a $4 billion, 1,500-room resort on Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, which is expected to open in 2027. The resort has now been licensed by […] October 7, 2024
Leisure & Hospitality PIF explores raising stakes in Japanese gaming companies Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is exploring increasing its stakes in Japanese gaming companies to develop the kingdom as a global centre for gaming. “There are always opportunities,” Prince Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud, vice chairman of Savvy Games Group told Kyodo News, a Japanese news agency. PIF now owns 8.6 percent of Nintendo, after […] October 6, 2024
Leisure & Hospitality MGM applies for UAE casino licence says CEO US hospitality and entertainment group MGM Resorts has submitted a proposal to the UAE government to secure a casino operating licence, CEO Bill Hornbuckle has confirmed. “The way it will work is the federal government in Abu Dhabi will approve it, we’ve applied for it and hopefully we’ll win the licence there,” Hornbuckle said at […] September 23, 2024
Leisure & Hospitality Arabian nights: what goes on when the sun goes down A jazz festival, desert raves and sports bar are part of the Saudi plan to build a night economy September 19, 2024
Video length: 05:07 VIDEO Gaming Saudi Arabia plays the long game in a high-stakes market Saudi Arabia has so far channeled $38 billion into the esports sector through its Public Investment Fund subsidiary Savvy Games Group. This includes high-profile acquisitions such as the $4.9 billion purchase of the Monopoly Go developer Scopely and the $1.5 billion buyout of ESL FaceIt Group, one of the world’s largest esports companies. Critics have […] September 13, 2024
Analysis Gaming Wynn’s update on RAK casino has analysts abuzz Wynn Resorts is to update investors next month on its plans for the UAE’s first casino, heightening analysts’ speculation about the company. The Las Vegas-based hospitality group is building a $4 billion, 1,500-room resort on Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah. The complex is expected to open in early 2027 and Wynn’s CEO Craig […] September 12, 2024
Video length: 04:08 VIDEO Gaming Prince Faisal: growth, not profit, is focus for esports Cost-intensive spectator events are not going to be a “serious profit generator”, Prince Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud told AGBI, as Saudi Arabia concluded the first Esports World Cup last week. The event was watched by more than 500 million people but Prince Faisal, president of the Arab Esports Federation, said: “In esports, sustainability is […] September 4, 2024
Gaming MGM chief teases potential casino in Dubai The chief executive of MGM Resorts International, a major operator of casinos, has hinted at the possibility of opening a branch in Dubai, buoyed by evolving gaming regulations in the UAE. William Joseph Hornbuckle was bullish on a recent announcement by the UAE authorities of a lottery licence, and said he viewed it as a […] August 1, 2024
Leisure & Hospitality Lottery licence heralds UAE gaming industry growth The issuance of the UAE’s first lottery licence and publication of a framework to regulate gaming looks set to kickstart the rapid development of the industry in the Gulf nation. The year-old federal General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) said over the weekend it had awarded Abu Dhabi-based The Game LLC the rights to operate […] July 30, 2024
Analysis Gaming Investment yet to turn a profit in Saudi esports drive Saudi Arabia’s aggressive entry into esports, marked by the $60 million Esports World Cup and the successful bid to host the 2025 Olympic Esports Games, has grabbed global headlines. Yet a multitude of challenges to the commercialisation of esports could blunt the kingdom’s ambitions to become a global force within this thriving new industry. NewsletterGet […] July 23, 2024
Business of Sport Visas on offer as Esports World Cup hits Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia is offering electronic visas for ticket holders for the first Esports World Cup, which starts next week at an entertainment district in Riyadh called Boulevard City. The event is being held over eight weeks from July 3. Around 1,500 players from 500 international clubs will compete for this year’s record total prize money […] June 27, 2024
Business of Sport Saudi sports push ‘winning global audiences’ Saudi sports investments are winning a global audience as the kingdom tries to overcome charges of “sport washing”, a major survey of media coverage said this month. Media analytics consultancy Carma found that coverage of human rights in Saudi Arabia fell in favour of “a sports-related narrative” around the world, including in the West. The […] June 25, 2024
Analysis Tech World Cup’s brimming prize pot to revive Saudi esports Saudi Arabia will offer a record-breaking $60 million prize pool for its upcoming Esports World Cup, at a time when the kingdom is facing challenges attracting foreign investments to the sector. The amount of prize money for this summer’s event breaks the previous record of $45 million set by esports festival Gamer8 in 2023. Saudi […] April 19, 2024
