AstroLabs CEO Roland Daher and General Manager at Saudi Arabia’s Center of Digital Entrepreneurship (CODE), MCIT, Abdullah Alshamrani had the chance to sit down and look back at one of our most successful and impactful collaborations, Game Changers.
Game Changers is a program targeting the nascent gaming ecosystem in Saudi Arabia. It aims to equip emerging professionals in the gaming industry with the right know-how to develop winning video games and launch their own gaming studios.
The program has enabled 43 participants through a capability building bootcamp and an intensive 4-months accelerator, which covered technical aptitudes in game design and development, entrepreneurial skills like leadership and team-building, as well as the legal intricacies of setting up a business.
Game Changers, which was commissioned by MCIT, has succeeded in doubling the number of registered gaming studios in the country. The Kingdom now boasts around 20 registered gaming studios, 10 of which were brought to life through this unique program.
Catch the conversation and dive into Game Changers’ story:
Saudi Gaming Exceeds Expectations
Saudi Gaming Levels Up
For a while now, the Saudi gaming market has been brimming with opportunities for professionals and investors. An obvious factor would be the Kingdom’s youthful and tech-savvy population, as noted in the conversation. Ranking third globally in terms of smartphone usage, and with internet penetration at 99%, it is no wonder that Saudi Arabia boasts the highest number of gamers per capita in the world.
Such incredible rates of video game consumption have led the Saudi government to take this industry into consideration while planning for the decade ahead. Gaming is indeed projected to contribute 1% of the Kingdom’s GDP by 2030, which is no surprise considering the continuous efforts of several government entities. The Ministry of Communications and Intellectual Technology and the General Commission for Audiovisual Media are constantly working on developing Saudi-made gaming projects and introducing international titles to the Saudi market, respectively.
While the gaming sector in Saudi Arabia shows undeniable promise, a few challenges were brought up. For instance, the lack of Saudi-made games and Saudi-based studios is a glaring contrast from the vibrant consumer market that the Kingdom is famous for.
Another daunting issue facing this industry is the disparity between specialized talents and general ones. On the art and audio front, there is no shortage of local professionals, but game developers often have to be outsourced due to their scarcity among Saudi nationals.
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Game Changers: Transforming the Saudi Gaming Landscape
Future Prospects for Gamers in the Kingdom
Game Changers, which was commissioned by MCIT, has been quite efficient at tackling these challenges hands-on, having doubled the number of registered gaming studios in the country. The Kingdom now boasts around 20 registered gaming studios, 10 of which were brought to life through this unique program.
Game Changers has been quite efficient at tackling these challenges hands-on. Graduating studios have made and continue to make waves in the regional gaming landscape. Studios like Qindeel, Ash and Nomadroid have won prestigious prizes in different competitions, while others have already secured their initial funding and are set on signing with publishers.
Of course, for such a far-reaching program to succeed, a holistic and rigorous approach is needed, which is further expanded on during the conversation. The Saudi gaming sector is a great place for ecosystem enablers like AstroLabs to carry out well-designed strategies based on research and impact.
For Game Changers, we brought in some of the most influential professionals in the industry to act as mentors and instructors. Our alumni acquired invaluable knowledge and honed their capabilities under the tutorship of these experienced industry specialists. Through courses, training, and fireside chats, our graduating studios are putting their knowledge and passion into practice, and scoring so many impressive wins for the Saudi gaming ecosystem.
The road ahead is an exciting one for these budding professionals, as they work together with stakeholders, enablers and gamers, to put Saudi gaming on the global map.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the state of the gaming industry.
