Image via Moonton Saudi Arabia's Qiddiya City will become the long-term home of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League Middle East and North Africa (MPL MENA) Grand Finals from 2027, under a five-year hosting agreement between MOONTON Games and Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC). The agreement will see the regional competition's Grand Finals held at Qiddiya City through 2031, establishing a recurring destination for one of MENA's leading mobile esports tournaments. T

Image via SPL Saudi Arabia's Roshn Saudi League will make its first appearance as a fully licensed competition in Football Manager 27, following a partnership between the Saudi Pro League (SPL) and developer Sports Interactive. The agreement will bring all 18 Saudi top-flight clubs into the football management simulation, complete with official club logos, player images and kits. Players will be able to manage Saudi clubs, build squads, compete for domestic honours and take c

Image via Savvy Games Group Savvy Academy, an initiative of Saudi Arabia's Savvy Games Group, will host a free masterclass on intellectual property in game development on October 28, 2026, at CODE headquarters in Riyadh. Titled Own Your Game: Intellectual Property for Game Creators, the session will run from 6pm to 8pm and feature Rafael Ferraz Vazquez from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The masterclass will explore how game developers, artists, designer

Image via GameDevTober GameDevTober, a five-day online event featuring nine Saudi game studio CEOs, will take place from October 25 to 29, offering developers an opportunity to learn from the experiences of industry professionals. Organised by Saudi game developer ZOHAL and hosted by the Saudi Game Developers Community (SGDC), the event will feature nine sessions exploring the journeys behind games developed by Saudi studios, from their initial concepts through to launch. The

Image via Mastercard / Tamatem Mastercard and Jordan-founded games company Tamatem have partnered to expand payment options for players and game publishers across the Middle East and Africa. Under the agreement, Mastercard Gateway will become the payment gateway behind Tamatem Plus, the company’s digital commerce and payments platform, across more than 13 markets. The rollout will begin in Saudi Arabia and the UAE before expanding across the wider region. Tamatem Plus provide

Image Via Center of Digital Entrepreneurship (CODE) Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has launched the third edition of Saudi Game Champions, a six-month programme designed to support local talent in game development. The programme is being run through the ministry’s Center of Digital Entrepreneurship (CODE) in partnership with the National Technology Development Program (NTDP), and will take place in Riyadh. The six-month programme will com

Fourcast Studio CEO Hani Audah discusses Saudi Arabia’s growing indie game scene, Loss Prevention, global ambitions and the road ahead.

The Indie game development ecosystem is thriving in the MENA region and here are some of the names to watch out for.

Niko Partners' Danial Ahmad explains where MENA gaming goes next, from esports and localization to regulation, talent and sustainable growth.

Image via Exel by Merak Saudi gaming accelerator Exel by Merak and Saudi Gamer have signed a partnership aimed at supporting a more connected gaming ecosystem in Saudi Arabia. The agreement was announced by both organisations on LinkedIn, with Saudi Gamer describing it as an MOU signing and a “Diamond Partnership”. The partnership will bring together Exel by Merak’s work with gaming founders and Saudi Gamer’s reach across the Kingdom’s gaming community. Exel by Merak operates

Image via Tahaluf Savvy Games Group, Ubisoft and Roblox have joined the inaugural Kingdom of Gaming event, which will take place in Riyadh later this year. The three companies have been announced under the event’s “Global Gaming Leaders” category and will be among a growing group of gaming, technology and investment organisations participating in the event from December 1 to 3 at the Riyadh Exhibition & Convention Center in Malham. Tuwaiq Academy, NEOM and Amazon Web Services

Image via Ubisoft Ubisoft has launched the free Discovery Tour App: AlUla, allowing users around the world to explore the history and heritage of Saudi Arabia’s AlUla through the world recreated for Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory. The publisher announced the app on September 16, with the experience available for free on iOS and Android as well as directly through a web browser without requiring a download. The app supports seven languages: Arabic, English, French,

Image via LunaTone Japanese gaming and esports company LunaTone has launched a new Middle East operation in Riyadh, expanding its presence in Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC. The Tokyo-based company said LunaTone ME will act as its regional base, connecting partners in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf with its gaming, esports, education and digital content capabilities and networks in Japan and South Korea. The Riyadh operation will be led by Metab Altawill, LunaTone’s Regional Direc

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is reportedly considering combining Electronic Arts (EA) with Savvy Games Group.

Saudi Esports Federation launches the Level Up Program with VANGUARD, giving graduates hands-on experience through PRIME League live operations.

Image via Valve Saudi esports organisation Team Falcons has announced its withdrawal from competitive Dota 2, ending a nearly three-year run that included victory at The International 2025. Falcons confirmed the move following a strategic review of its esports plans for 2026 and beyond. “At Team Falcons, our goal is to build long-term, high-impact programs across global esports,” the organisation said in an official statement. Falcons said its global focus is shifting towards

Image via Savvy Games Group Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group has signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Gosu Academy and Warpzone AI Labs, with the agreements focused on talent development, training and AI in gaming. The agreements were signed at LEAP 2026 in Riyadh and form part of Savvy’s efforts to develop Saudi talent and strengthen gaming capabilities in the Kingdom. Under its agreement with Gosu Academy, Savvy will explore opportunities across games and esp

Image via Savvy Games Group Brian Ward has confirmed he is stepping down as CEO of Savvy Games Group, following a Bloomberg report that the founding chief executive was leaving the Saudi Arabian gaming company. Ward confirmed his departure in a LinkedIn post, saying he had completed his contractual commitment to Savvy and its owner, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), after five years building and leading the group. “This week I fulfilled and completed my contractual

Image via FIFAe Jeddah will host the FIFAe Finals 2026 from October 16 to 25, with three football esports world titles to be decided at the Abadi Al Johar Arena. The event will feature competitions in eFootball on console and mobile alongside Rocket League, with national teams qualifying through FIFAe’s international competition structure. Twelve nations will compete in each of the two eFootball tournaments, while 16 will contest the Rocket League competition. The eFootball t

Image via EStars Holiday Inn has partnered with educational esports company EStars to introduce dedicated gaming spaces at four hotels in Saudi Arabia. The Elite Gaming Pods have opened at Holiday Inn Riyadh Business District, Holiday Inn Riyadh Al Malaz, Holiday Inn Jeddah Corniche and Holiday Inn & Suites Al Khobar. Each hotel has two pods equipped with MSI gaming PCs, next-generation consoles, curved monitors, gaming accessories and ergonomic seating. Guests can access gam