While the Electronic Entertainment Expo, aka E3, was canceled this year due to major publishers and developers pulling out, the industry keeps moving on. Pocket Gamer Connects, in partnership with the Dubai Economy & Tourism Department, have announced the first ever Dubai GameExpo Summit this June in the country’s bid to become the gaming world’s epicenter.
The Dubai GameExpo Summit will be a two-day affair taking place at the Expo City in Dubai June 21st-22nd. According to the press release, over 1,000 attendees are expected to participate at the expo from countries all over that includes the USA, India, UAE, Korea, Japan, Europe, Canada, and China.
Over 100 games industry speakers will deliver panels, seminars, and talks over a range of topics at the Dubai GameExpo Summit. Attendees will be able to hear topics regarding AI advances, esports, game development, global trends, MENA trends, investment and more. There will also be side-events for networking such as the Publisher Speed Match, Investor Connector, and the Big Indie Pitch.
Pocket Gamer CEO Chris James commented about the company’s excitement for the event,
“At Steel Media we have always focused our efforts on championing and supporting the games industry, wherever and however it springs up. Right now there are few places in the world more exciting than the MENA market, with a growing gaming consumer base and a fast developing industry. Dubai Game Expo and the Summit will be celebrating all of this, both domestically and on a global scale – the fact it’s a brilliant, fun city to explore is just a bonus!”
As the largest country in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, Saudi Arabia’s mobile gaming market has a base of 21 million users and generated over $520 million in 2021. The entire gaming industry which includes PC, console, and mobile was projected to make $946 million via consumer spending 2021 as well.
Speculation about Saudi Arabia’s potential market is estimated to increase to $2.8 billion with a consumer base of 87.3 million gamers by 2026. All of this being spurred by the Saudi Arabia government investing $38 billion into the country’s gaming market.
Early bird tickets are, as of the time this article has been posted, priced at $42.10 and can be purchased here.
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