A brand new report from Niko Companions, in partnership with the Saudi Esports Federation, says that markets within the Gulf Cooperation Council accounted for $2.24 billion in participant spending within the Center East and North Africa final yr.
The Localisation within the MENA Area white paper gives „insights about approaches to localisation“ in MENA international locations, with a particular give attention to GGC markets which embrace Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The report forecast that the compound annual development fee of participant spending will develop by 7.7% to achieve $3.48 billion in 2028, whereas the variety of avid gamers is estimated to achieve 38.9 million with a development fee of two.9%.
It additionally predicted that Saudi Arabia and the UAE would be the quickest rising markets by income, and „will account for practically 80% of all participant spending throughout all six markets“.
Carried out in December 2023, the report surveyed 1,225 respondents and located that almost all of avid gamers play video games on smartphone units (91.7%), adopted by PC (61.9%), and console (55.3%).
Specializing in localisation, 41% of respondents mentioned they „solely play video games with an Arabic localisation or usually tend to play video games with localisation“, with greater than 1 / 4 (27.4%) stating that they’d be much less more likely to or cease taking part in a recreation due to poor localisation.
Three quarters of these surveyed (74%) mentioned it was „very or considerably essential“ to see Arabic illustration in video games, by means of elements akin to characters, tales, tradition, and settings.
The report additionally discovered that 10% of those that performed a recreation with an Arabic setting or theme discovered them to „both usually or at all times be disrespectful of Arab tradition.“
„Arabic localisation is a strategic game-changer for builders aiming to broaden their viewers and income streams,“ Niko Companions mentioned. „Embracing the wealthy and various Center East and North Africa market permits builders to take their video games to new heights, fascinating a wider viewers and unlocking contemporary alternatives.
„Localisation breaks down language boundaries, delving into cultural intricacies to create experiences that deeply resonate with Arabic-speaking avid gamers.“