Saudi Arabia has reorganized its plan to diversify its economy and firmly put its sights on the gaming scene. This effort also aided the region’s Esports scene, by adding a further 30 competitive games.
Although it is not yet known what these games will look like, the crown prince hopes these releases would force Saudi Arabia to become one of the “top three countries for Esports players.” According to the statistics, the top three are United States, China, and Russia, while Saudi Arabia hasn’t even made the list.
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As mentioned by Arab News, the announcement was made through state media and shows clear that the crown prince of the country is trying to double down on recent investments in the gaming industry.
“The National Gaming and Esports Strategy is driven by creativity and energy of citizens and gamers,” said Mohammed bin Salman on the announcement. He hopes that the initiative will create 39.000 jobs.
The report also claims Saudi Arabia has “over 500 professional players signed under official agreements.” If true, that would place Japan just in the middle of the game, making it roughly 11th globally.
However, no matter how much money it comes to the land, it is unlikely to achieve its Esports aspirations unopposed. As far as traditional sports have been, holding Esports events in Saudi Arabia will likely be controversial. According to Amnesty International, those who criticize government policy still face 20 years in prison. The organization also states that, despite the opposition claims from the Saudi government, women still face discrimination in “marriage, divorce, inheritance and child custody.” The violation of LGBTQ+ rights is nearly non-existing in Saudi Arabia, with gay, tetra, death punishable by discrimination in sexual activity. The queer and trans Esports player’s experience won’t likely play a problem.
And despite this, investments are still being made. Most recently, the Saudi state bought a stake of nearly a billion dollars in Embracer Group. It is owned by Nintendo, and owns a 5 percent stake, and a staggering 96 percent of SNK.
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