One of the strongest indicators of the GCC’s growing influence is the arrival of global gaming companies establishing a physical or operational footprint in the region.
In just a few years, the GCC has gone from an emerging player to one of the world’s most influential gaming markets. What began as a youth-driven passion has transformed into a region-wide economic force reshaping job creation, digital skills, talent development, and national growth strategies.
Today, gaming in the Gulf is no longer “entertainment.” It is infrastructure. It is policy. It is an engine of digital transformation. Saudi Arabia is the clearest example of this shift. Gaming and esports sit at the heart of Vision 2030, and the scale of the kingdom’s investment reflects its ambition. With more than $38 billion committed to building one of the most advanced gaming ecosystems globally, the National Gaming and Esports Strategy aims to contribute $13.3 billion to GDP and create over 39,000 jobs by 2030.
The UAE, meanwhile, has carved its own space in the region’s gaming ascent. Dubai’s Gaming 2033 strategy seeks to position the city among the world’s top ten gaming hubs, adding $1 billion to GDP and creating 30,000 new jobs. The focus is clear: attract international studios, support developers, and build advanced production and content creation capabilities.
One of the strongest indicators of the GCC’s growing influence is the arrival of global gaming companies establishing a physical or operational footprint in the region.
Over the past few years, several major players have expanded to serve and invest directly in MENA’s rapidly growing gaming audience:
Riot Games (League of Legends, VALORANT) expanded its MENA operations few years back with dedicated servers, regional broadcasting teams, and new offices to support Arabic content and esports development.
Ubisoft opened its Abu Dhabi studio earlier and has continued to strengthen regional operations, supporting local developers and building live-services expertise.
Tencent continues to expand its gaming footprint across the GCC through esports tournaments, partnerships, and regional publishing support. It has expanded its digital footprint in Saudi Arabia with $150M data center investment.
MY.GAMES, already active in the region, has broadened its ecosystem through platforms, partnerships, and now AdsAdvisor, its all-in-one marketing intelligence platform officially launched in MENA.
But as this ecosystem grows, so does its complexity. For international studios and local developers alike, navigating this new landscape requires deep market intelligence.
The timing of AdsAdvisor’s entry aligns with the region’s shift towards more marketing intelligence platforms, more gamers, more studios, more investment, and more global competition. But it also arrives at a moment of increasing complexity.
AdsAdvisor simplifies marketing operations for mobile companies across gaming and other industries, bringing together a powerful suite of capabilities including: customizable metrics analytics, revenue predictions, and advanced SKAN attribution, along with probabilistic attribution for Unity, AppLovin, and IronSource, enhanced by Smart Metrics technology that restores organic visibility lost due to privacy constraints.
This wave of global interest underscores one message: the GCC has become a strategic growth market for the world’s leading companies.
And as governments, studios, developers, and international players continue to invest in the region, platforms like AdsAdvisor are stepping in to provide the transparency, efficiency, and intelligence needed for sustainable growth.
