2025 marked the year Riyadh shifted from being a high-profile gaming investor to the industry’s primary architect, vertically integrating the gaming value chain — from hardware to global publishing and distribution. With the USD 55 bn Electronic Arts (EA) takeover — the largest leveraged buyout in history — the Kingdom moved from passive equity into strategic control of the space where digital gaming meets global sport. The result is Riyadh’s emergence as a neutral digital hub, sidestepping West–East tech frictions while anchoring a sector now central to the non-oil economy.

Buying the “sports bridge”

The EA megadeal is economically defensible as a play for stable, cashflow-rich IPs like EA Sports FC and Madden NFL. Beyond that, by owning EA, the Kingdom now controls the digital stadiums where hundreds of mns of people spend their time daily. This allows the Kingdom to bypass traditional media hurdles and build direct cultural capital with a global, mobile-first demographic — particularly in growth markets like India.

The challenge shifts from ownership to optimization in 2026. The PIF-led consortium must now prove it can revitalize fan sentiment that has historically viewed EA as overly focused on monetization at the expense of player experience.

The Asian pivot

Savvy Games Group’s aggressive moves into China, Japan, and South Korea are not just about market share; they are about geopolitical arbitrage. As Western regulators tighten scrutiny on Chinese tech, Savvy is positioning Riyadh as a safe harbor for Asian giants like Tencent and NetEase to scale internationally without the political baggage of direct US-China friction. By 2030, the Kingdom aims to produce over 30 globally recognized games, and this pivot ensures that the Saudi-made pipeline will have access to the narrative depth of Japan and the technical online infrastructure of South Korea. In March

Infrastructure and record-breaking events

Meanwhile, esports took new strides as the seven-week Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025 hit viewership records and ticket revenues jumped. The event posted 350 mn hours watched (up 73% y-o-y) and drew 750 mn global viewers. Beyond the screens, the event was a hit on the ground. Ticket revenues doubled compared to last year, prompting EWC’s COO Mike McCabe to confirm that a larger, more permanent venue is in the cards for 2026 to accommodate the influx of visitors.

ICYMI- We sat down with McCabe in July to discuss the growth of esports in our Kingdom, its cultural and economic impact, and the foundation’s measures of success and future plans.

The EWC foundation unveiled the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) in August, a biennial tournament set to debut in Riyadh in November 2026. Unlike the club-based EWC, the ENC will feature over 100 national teams competing across more than 15 titles.

Twisted Labs also launched at Riyadh’s Boulevard City in February, providing a tangible boost to the Kingdom’s professionalization of exports. The JV between Twisted Minds and Riyadh Season houses training facilities, production studios, and nine entertainment zones, serving as the local scene’s new hub.

This hardware-first approach is a prerequisite for the Kingdom’s long-term competitive strategy. By front-loading capital expenditure on permanent facilities like Twisted Labs and the expanded EWC zones, the Kingdom is securing the capacity required to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2027.

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