The New Global Sport Conference (NGSC) saw numerous agreements signed to support the Kingdom’s gaming and e-sports startups and companies. The two-day event by the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWC) wrapped up yesterday in Riyadh and brought together over 1.5k delegates. This included representatives from 25 major game publishers, more than 50 esports clubs, 500 CEOs and global leaders from the gaming, esports, sports, and technology sectors to explore this year’s theme “The Next Game.”

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#1- Impact46 invested over SAR 200 mn in Saudi gaming studio Kammelna, best known for its electronic card game Baloot, the company said on X. The move follows the company’s SAR 25 mn investment in five new gaming studios, namely Riyadh-based Fahy Studios, NJD Games, Starvania Studio, Beirut- and San Francisco-based Game Cooks, and Turkey-born Alpaka Games, as part of its SAR 150 mn gaming fund.

#2- Savvy Games Group partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to bolster the Kingdom’s games-tech infrastructure, supporting companies, startups, and developers, it said in a press release yesterday. Through its Skill Builder program, AWS will provide online courses on building in-demand cloud and AI skills, with the AWS Activate program providing gaming startups with resources and benefits to turn ideas into businesses.

#3- King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) inked a partnership agreement with Sphera, whereby the local gaming solutions firm will be hosted on and connected to the KACST-operated Saudi Arabian Internet Exchange, with supervision by the Communications and Information Technology Ministry, state news agency SPA reported on Saturday. The agreement aims to ramp up investments, boost gaming and cloud services, and create a supportive environment for local gaming startups.

#4- SDB: The Social Development Bank (SDB) inked an MoU with the Investment Ministry to implement a unified set of procedures, along with the National Development Fund, to attract international gaming and e-sports companies, the SDB said on X.

ICYMI- The EWCF unveiled a new biennial tournament, the Esports Nations Cup (ENC), set to debut in Riyadh in November 2026. Unlike the club-based Esports World Cup (EWC), the new tournament will feature national teams and will include team-based and solo-player formats.

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