Key Takeaways
- Saudi Arabia aims to become a hub for gaming by 2030, investing heavily in the industry.
- The country is Nintendo’s largest shareholder and also holds stakes in other gaming giants.
- Although Saudi Arabia has no plans to influence game development, some titles have been censored before release in the country.
The Prince of Saudi Arabia has stated interest in continuing the country’s relationship with Nintendo. The gaming market is largely based in the United States of America and Japan, with Nintendo dominating much of that space, but other countries have shown initiative to become further involved in the industry, which could end up bringing gaming to potentially unexpected spots. It’s unclear whether this relationship will influence the content of games in the future, but that doesn’t seem to be likely.
Saudi Arabia has been making progress in the entertainment business. In order to diversify the country’s economy, Savvy Games Group, a company funded by the country that is involved in several ends of the gaming industry including eSports and publication, has made strides to expand that reach. Saudi Arabia has invested billions of dollars in gaming, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Savvy Games group has stated plans to continue allocating core parts of the gaming market, with the intent of making Saudi Arabia a hub for gaming by 2030.
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Saudi Arabia Becomes Nintendo’s Largest Investor
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund increases its stake in Nintendo and becomes the largest outside investor of the company.
Kyodo News interviewed Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al-Saud during Tokyo Game Show 2024, and he signaled further interest in investing in Japanese gaming. As the country pivots from an oil-dependent economy, its sovereign wealth fund group has increased its investment in gaming, with its Public Investment Fund claiming nearly a tenth of Nintendo’s stakes. Asked about the prospect of going further, the prince said “It’s always a possibility,” noting that any move he and the country make to raise stakes in Nintendo will happen in agreement with the company, preserving positive communication. Following the news of Saudi Arabia’s continued interest in this relationship, Nintendo’s stock jumped, with shares going up by nearly 4%.
Saudi Arabia Is Open to Investing More in Nintendo
Saudi Arabia is Nintendo’s largest shareholder at the moment, and that grasp extends elsewhere. Although it is not the largest investor for some, the country owns significant portions of other gaming giants, holding about 10% of Nexon, 5% of Capcom, and 9% of EA. It does not seem like Saudi Arabia has any plans to directly influence video game development. However, outside of these investments, various elements of some titles like Spider-Man 2 were censored ahead of their release in the country.
More attention might be drawn towards restrictions like these as gaming is further connected to Saudi Arabia. The country has plans to host the inaugural Olympic eSports games in 2025, which will likely further highlight the growing relationship between the country and the multinational gaming market. 2025 could be a defining year for Saudi Arabia and gaming, with the Switch successor on the horizon in addition to this competition.