MENA Gaming Matters: Insights from the UAE

It’s hard to miss the grandeur when landing in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, descending near skyscrapers, domes and neatly arranged streets that from the sky look like model urban centres brought to life by mastering Cities: Skylines or Civilization. Even those that don’t travel regularly will tell you that going to the UAE is an experience in and of itself.

What’s harder to miss is the purpose behind the UAE’s focus on gaming. Policy support for the sector has been present for years, but conferences bring out the strong determination by public and private entities to develop the country as a hub for video games, esports, and allied infrastructure and services. From topics that ask pointed questions about how to improve player ecosystems to coffee conversations that are likely to lead to international business outcomes, Niko Partners has found a conducive environment for games and the businesses behind them.

Abu Dhabi

Niko Partners Senior Analyst Narinder Kapur spoke at the Abu Dhabi Culture Summit on April 27 as part of a panel discussion on video games becoming part of governments’ soft power and geopolitical toolset. The panel, ‘Virtual Realms, Real Politics: Ownership and Influence in Gaming’ discussed real-world examples and the implications of paying attention to cultural and geopolitical nuances when developing and marketing video games.

Narinder among panelists of “Virtual Realms, Real Politics: Ownership and Influence in Gaming” panel at Culture Summit Abu Dhabi 2025

The discussion also touched on best practices for companies considering the current geopolitical environment, another indication of the willingness of event organizers in the UAE (in this case, the government of Abu Dhabi) to ask difficult questions but also seek answers for them at the same time considering the government’s aim of transforming the city into a home for video game and esports content and infrastructure.

Per Niko’s conversations with local industry participants, Abu Dhabi is providing varied forms of support for the games and esports ecosystems in the city, including policy and financial support, subsidies, and access to infrastructure that can otherwise be out of reach for smaller and mid-sized companies that move to the region. This is backed by easy access to a diverse audience pool in the city itself, making it convenient to test new games, features, and continue iterating on them without incurring large costs.

Dubai

Niko Partners Analyst Mohamed Zaher spoke at the Dubai GameExpo Summit on May 7, delivering a talk titled, ‘All Eyes on MENA: Trends & Future Outlook for Investment’. Zaher shared key investment trends, market dynamics, and strategic insights for companies seeking to enter or expand in the region.

Niko Partners MENA Analyst Mohamed Zaher was speaking at Dubai GameExpo Summit

The event was followed by the 2025 edition of the MENA Game Industry Awards. Niko Partners won the Best Service Provider award together with Xsolla for our joint white paper, ‘What Does the Monetization Landscape Look Like for Video Games in MENA?’ Check out the award-winning whitepaper here, available in English and Arabic.

Zaher with Xsolla Team at Dubai GameExpo Summit. Niko Partners and Xsolla were named the Best Service Provider at MENA Game Industry Awards 2025

According to Zaher, the panels and talks at the event were better attended than the 2024 edition of the conference, with a stronger presence from indie developers and greater participation from venture capital firms and publishers. Several sessions focused on the funding landscape in the region and the growth potential for investors seeking to leverage talent and consumer audiences across MENA via the UAE.

The UAE remains one of the richest markets tracked by Niko, and gamers in the region are among the most engaged across Asia and MENA. High spending in the region, while due in part to high incomes, is also because preferences are driven by a combination of local demand and the influence of varied diasporas present in the country.

This is not to say entering this market or expanding within it will be an easy task. There are cultural nuances to keep in mind, as well as gamer preferences, which differ significantly across platforms and genres. Carving out a niche or working with companies in the country will require a thorough understanding, among other things, of public and private-sector motivations and its interplay with gamer behavior on the ground.

Keep up with the latest developments in the UAE as they happen with NikoIQ, our intelligent online dashboard. Backed by our in-country analysts and over two decades years of experience, you can slice and dice our proprietary data in ways that make sense for your market strategy. NikoIQ complements our MENA Market Model Report, which uncovers growth trends and insights for 3 prominent markets in the region: Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE. We’re also available to discuss your needs around custom research and strategic consulting in this region.