It’s been over two weeks since the conclusion of the Next World Forum, and people are left wondering what is next for the Saudi Arabian esports scene. Well, according to the country’s crown prince, Saudi Arabia is looking to create 39,000 jobs in the esports industry by 2030. Additionally, he hopes that this investment in gaming will boost the kingdom’s gross domestic product (GDP) by $13.3 billion over the next eight years.
That isn’t the only interesting piece of news to come from the crown prince. It was also revealed that the crown prince hopes to have 30 competitive video games developed in the country by 2030.
This all comes as part of the National Gaming and Esports Strategy that was introduced recently in the country. According to the Saudi Press Agency, this strategy will involve business incubators, new educational academies, and regulations to stimulate industry growth.
“The National Gaming and Esports Strategy is driven by the creativity and energy of our citizens and gamers, who are at the heart of the strategy,” said Mohammed bin Salman.
The Saudi Press Agency said that the country will launch 86 new initiatives. These programs will be implemented and managed by 20 different government entities.
The Profit‘s Take:
This came from the crown prince himself, so you know it’s legit. This is a very ambitious plan. 30 games in seven to eight years is a lot. If you think about the combination of Blizzard, Riot, CD Projekt, and Take-Two, you have to imagine they are not putting out 30 total games, and those are four of the biggest video game studios in the world! A lot of the ideas in this strategy are familiar to me – imitation is the highest form of flattery after all. They have the commitment, vision, and resources to make this happen. Saudi Arabia has proven that it can serve their local esports market. Now, we just have to wonder if there is the talent there to build this grand vision. It wouldn’t matter where you were in the world, it’s going to be hard to execute this plan to perfection. You also need a lot of people at the top that understand gaming on a subtle level while getting the business side of the industry. Money could solve that problem. But those people aren’t that plentiful. There will be speed bumps in the road. I’m interested to see how the country navigates them. Either way, I’m optimistic for the future!
(All information was provided by Alarabiya News and TheGamer)
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