Elie Honain
The Middle East’s esports industry has a promising future. A new gaming ecosystem is taking shape, fueled by the significant talent emerging across the region. A young, tech-savvy population is driving this boom, making it the fastest-growing video game market globally, with an expected value of more than US$5 billion by 2025.
Like its neighbors in the region, Qatar has enormous potential to dominate the esports industry and take the lead on a global scale. This is precisely what prompted the government to establish the Qatar E-Sports Federation, which operates under the supervision of the Qatar Olympic Committee and aims to boost internal and external participation in the sport.
For local companies from various industries interested in engaging with youth and expanding reach and visibility within that demographic, gaming is the ideal platform. And not only through marketing and exposure revenue – gaming and esports yield direct financial returns to investors. So long as gamers feel companies respect them and cater to their needs, they are loyal.
Courtesy of Qatar’s advanced infrastructure, which includes high-speed connectivity, high-end venues, accommodation, and ease of travel, among other things, the country is well-positioned, equipped, and ready to host major global esports events. That infrastructure was already best-in-class, but it has been further enhanced ahead of this year’s FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and global attention is on us. Qatar is primed. As an industry pioneer, QUEST Esports has been actively engaged with the regional gaming sector for some time now. By offering a range of services, from tournament organization to talent management, professional team management to content creation, as well as media production, athlete training through our esports academy, and coordination of various events and activations, we have established ourselves as arguably Qatar’s leading esports company and one of the region’s most ambitious.
This year, we managed at least five large LAN tournaments and online league matches for games such as Fortnite, CS: GO, PUBG Mobile, Dota 2, and FIFA, as well as organizing the first and biggest physical event this past May. We also partnered with Ooredoo to help launch Ooredoo Nation – Gamers’ Land, the Ooredoo Thunders team, and the Ooredoo Arena tournaments, which have to date attracted more than 14,000 participants, gained nearly 110,000 followers, and reached an audience of more than 40 million, including a combined 20.5M in viewership. QUEST secured a multi-year sponsorship deal with Dell Technologies to serve Ooredoo Nation’s vision and mission.
With the backing of its wise and visionary leadership, Qatar has the capability to run multiple leagues across several game genres all year round. It is also well positioned to scout regional talent that can lead to the creation of more esports teams as well as content producers.
Qatar’s small size makes travel convenient, its airport is served by Qatar Airways, awarded the title of World’s Best Airline once again. These factors can help ensure Qatar becomes the heart of esports in the Middle East. We recently signed an exclusive strategic partnership to work directly with the Qatar E-Sports Federation (QESF), and our experience and successes in the region give us great confidence that we can help augment the country’s capabilities and capacity.
The MENA gaming sector is expected to reach US$5 billion in revenue by 2025, and the GCC nations are expected to play a major part in that growth. Together, these countries can work to co-host competitions and help establish the region as an international center for esports. The market is huge, and Qatar is no different. With the support of the QESF, QUEST can carry that regional momentum forward and help Qatar’s gaming industry flourish like its neighbors.
