Esports in the United Arab Emirates

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Esports has grown rapidly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since the 2010s, with significant investment and partnerships aimed at positioning the country as a regional hub for competitive gaming in an attempt to diversify the country's economy. The country was admitted to the Global Esports Federation as its 100th member federation in 2021. The UAE's expansion into the esports market has drawn criticism, particularly in relation to its record on LGBTQ rights.

History

Electronic sports, known as esports, is a type of competitive video gaming where individuals or teams of individuals compete in events using electronic devices. [1] : 2  Since the 2010s, the UAE has been developing its esports ecosystem as part of an effort to establish itself as a major hub for competitive gaming in the region, [1] : 2  in an attempt to diversify its economy beyond a reliance on oil. [2] [3] : 140  As of 2024, the UAE was described as having a "strong emerging" presence in the esports market, with expected growth of more than 8%. [4] Entertainment streaming and gaming has been noted as a "promising sector" by the Ministry of Economy. [5] : 342 

According to Statista, the country has the highest percentage of adult gamers globally, with 9 out of 10 adults interviewed reporting that they played video games between 2021 and 2022. [6] Other independent studies found that 65% of UAE residents identified as gamers. [7] 44% of women in the country play video games. [5] : 341 

In 2021, the Global Esports Federation admitted the Emirates Esports, representing the UAE, as its 100th member federation. [8] The country's expansion into esports has gained controversy due to LGBTQ rights in the United Arab Emirates. In 2022, a planned esports tournament in the country hosted by Ubisoft was moved due to protests and a petition signed by over 13,000 individuals. [9] In 2023, the country launched the Dubai Program for Gaming 2033, which aimed to create 30,000 jobs related to gaming and position the country as a hub for it by the year 2033. [10] The country also aims for esports and gaming to contribute $1 billion to its GDP by that year. [11] In January 2025, Abu Dhabi signed a $40 million partnership with the NIP group. [2] In April, it was announced that the country was to open its first gaming resort in Ras Al Khaimah. [12] The Emirates Gaming League was established in March 2025 by the Emirates Esports Federation, with an AED 9 million prize pool. [13]

References

  1. 1 2 Benlarbi, Yahia; Hashim, Samia; Belghitia, Samira (1 December 2024). "The Social Practice of E-Sports in the United Arab Emirates: An Empirical Field Study on a Sample of University Students". Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research. 105 (1): 1–12. doi: 10.2478/pcssr-2024-0020 . ISSN   1899-4849.
  2. 1 2 Dixon, Ed (23 January 2025). "Middle East "the next frontier" for esports as NIP strikes US$40m Abu Dhabi partnership". SportsPro . Archived from the original on 10 April 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  3. ↑ Kshetri, Nir (2023). "National Metaverse Strategies" (PDF). Computer. 56 (2): 137–142. doi: 10.1109/MC.2022.3227681 . ISSN   0018-9162 . Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  4. ↑ Joseph, Daniel James; Brock, Tom; Partin, William Clyde (27 June 2025). "Towards a geopolitical economy of esports: making sense of Saudi Arabia's investments". Team Performance Management: 8. doi: 10.1108/TPM-09-2024-0111 . ISSN   1352-7592.
  5. 1 2 ElHarizi, Jihane Floriane (6 October 2023). "Understanding Women's Success in eSports in the MENA Region". Companion Proceedings of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play. ACM. pp. 341–343. doi: 10.1145/3573382.3616038 . ISBN   979-8-4007-0029-3.
  6. ↑ Nasir, Sarwat (28 June 2022). "UAE has highest percentage of adult gamers, global survey reveals" . The National . Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  7. ↑ Adnan, Nadia; Farrag, Dalia Abdelrahman; Alam, Mohammad Nurul (2025). "Exploring Arousal in GCC as a Mediator of Impulsive Behavior Among Tourists in E-Sports Tourism: Insights From Gulf Countries' Collective Culture". International Journal of Tourism Research. 27 (2). doi: 10.1002/jtr.2763 . ISSN   1099-2340.
  8. ↑ Bhat, Divsha (6 October 2021). "UAE-based Yalla Esports announces new strategic partnerships". Gulf Business . Archived from the original on 3 May 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  9. ↑ Wakefield, Jane (23 February 2022). "Ubisoft moves esports event from UAE after fans protest". BBC News . Archived from the original on 6 April 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  10. ↑ "Abu Dhabi seeks to boost esports in the UAE and MENA". Middle East Monitor . 23 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  11. ↑ Salah, Faisal (22 July 2024). "How Dubai is positioning itself as the Middle East's gaming hub" . The National . Archived from the original on 31 July 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  12. ↑ Nagraj, Aarti (30 April 2025). "UAE's first gaming resort set to 'open up Ras Al Khaimah to the world'" . The National . Archived from the original on 30 April 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  13. ↑ Al Qaydi, Ruqayya (30 September 2024). "UAE: Esports league with Dh9 million prize pool to launch in March 2025; how to compete". Khaleej Times . Archived from the original on 9 February 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
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