Abu Dhabi Gaming (AD Gaming), a new initiative pioneered by twofour54 Abu Dhabi, that aggregates the emirate’s drive to build a thriving gaming and esports ecosystem has been launched.
Supported by Unity Technologies, Flash Entertainment, UAE Pro League, Emirates Esports Association and the Media Zone Authority, AD Gaming will provide a comprehensive support system for game developers, players, consumers and businesses in Abu Dhabi.
The initiative will champion the development of regional talent and bring a calendar of year-round gaming events to Abu Dhabi, a statement said.
As Abu Dhabi’s media and entertainment hub, twofour54 (pictured below) will provide space within the free zone for all businesses that make use of the Media Zone Authority’s bespoke gaming, esports and virtual reality licences, as well as subsidies for new partner companies.
Flash Entertainment, UAE Pro League and Emirates Esports Association will provide a flexible infrastructure to grow the esports community and will lead to the growth of the esports community and support esports businesses in the region, the statement added.
AD Gaming has also announced that 15 new gaming and esports businesses will be joining Yas Creative Hub when it opens in the fourth quarter of 2021, including the Emirates Esports Association, Boss Bunny, Kashkool Games, Khousouf Games and RobocomVR amongst others.
Yas Creative Hub will include a purpose-built gaming hub, operated in partnership with industry giant Unity Technologies, which will provide a physical home for the gaming industry in Abu Dhabi.
On-the-ground support will be provided to start-ups and aspiring professionals through a range of talent development and business support programmes.
Mohamed Al Mubarak, chairman of twofour54, said: “The global gaming industry has been growing at an increasing rate over the last few years, and this growth has been accelerated by the pandemic to the extent that global revenues are expected to surpass $200 billion by 2023.
“AD Gaming will bring the emirate’s existing gaming industry together under one strategic brand, and will invest in attracting a significant share of the emerging regional’s industry to form an ecosystem that fosters creativity and sustainable growth.”
James Hartt, director, Strategy & Business Development for AD Gaming, added: “The collaborative approach AD Gaming will allow Abu Dhabi to capitalise on the gaming industry’s significant economic and cultural opportunity. The initiative will have a long-lasting impact, creating job opportunities for local talent whilst simultaneously developing professionals with the skills that gaming firms need to grow their businesses. We look forward to welcoming more gaming companies to our impressive roster of innovative SMEs and multinationals.”
Under the partnership with Unity Technologies, the gaming industry titan will also be leading the Train-the-Trainer development programme, working with several educational institutions across the UAE, including Abu Dhabi University, NYU Abu Dhabi, Higher Colleges of Technology and University of Sharjah.
The aim of the programme is to equip professors and teachers with the skills to pass on their knowledge to their students, developing their AI, virtual reality, game development and coding skills.
During the launch event, Flash Entertainment announced that it will be holding four esports tournaments throughout 2021.
AD Gaming will launch with a one-stop-shop website for the gaming community including an esports events calendar, a directory for game studios and companies that are based in Abu Dhabi. AD Gaming will also have a dedicated twitch channel which will showcase Abu Dhabi’s gaming talent.
The launch of AD Gaming comes just weeks after Saudi Arabia’s communications regulator launched a new initiative aimed at enhancing the country’s booming gaming sector which is forecast to nearly quadruple in size by 2030.
The Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) has launched the Game Mode initiative, within the framework of its work to encourage healthy competition among telecom operators.
Telcos are being pushed to provide the best experience for gamers, raise the level of transparency in the market and enable investors and the public with key data and indicators on the sector’s performance.
The initiative comes as Saudi Arabia’s current gaming market size is estimated at SR2.6 billion but is expected to reach SR9.5 billion by 2030.
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