UAE gamers get full support from govt initiative: $1-million tournament prize offered; new opportunities in the works

Gamers in the UAE and across the region are now looking at Abu Dhabi as the place to be when it comes to esports, thanks to a government-led initiative that focuses on developing the industry.

From honing talent, creating career opportunities, and hosting the prestigious Blast Premier World Final last year with a $1-million prize pool, the AD Gaming initiative has been accelerating the growth of the industry since its launch in 2021.

Ahead of the 2023 Blast final next month at the Etihad Arena, top officials told Khaleej Times how Abu Dhabi is transforming into a global gaming hub.

“Since the pulse-raising Blast Premier World Finals in Abu Dhabi in 2022, the esports industry in the region has flourished. As the first stadium-filling esports event for the region, it set the tone across Mena, highlighting the immense excitement and energy in live competitive gaming,” James Hartt, director for AD Gaming, said, referring to the largest and most high-profile Counter Strike esports tournament to be held in the Middle East, which attracted thousands of fans to Yas Island’s Etihad Arena.

A string of successes

As the industry grows, local talent flourishes — with the UAE's gamers now making a name for themselves at tournaments around the world.

Abu Dhabi-headquartered Team Nigma Galaxy’s female Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team won the world championship and every other major tournament within the scene.

Its PUBG mobile team was named champion in the Arabian League and the first team to qualify for the World Cup.

Also, Abu Dhabi-based Nasr eSports’ Amjad ‘AngryBird’ Alshalabi became the first-ever Arab Street Fighter champion at the EVO World Championship.

In terms of new partnerships, gaming giant My.Games – a leading publisher and developer of mobile, PC, and console games — established a regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi.

“My.Games demonstrated their confidence in Abu Dhabi’s potential, which has been further galvanised given that they plan to relocate over a thousand employees to the emirate. All of this marks a step change for the local industry, setting the stage for a promising esports future in Abu Dhabi,” Hartt said.

More tournaments

He underlined that the esports landscape across the UAE has seen a surge in tournament platforms, in turn creating more of an opportunity for local talent.

“An example of this is e&’s Arena Challenge, which offers access to mobile gaming tournaments on a range of games. Looking globally, we have seen a major push for ‘Route to Pro’ programmes, with more slots opening in qualifying competitions including the Blast WildCard Qualifier. Collaborations with regional esports organisers of this nature will further expand avenues for gamers to climb divisions on global leaderboards, so we are continually looking for ways that AD Gaming can accomplish this from Abu Dhabi.”

Next month, the return of the Blast final will see some of the best Counter Strike teams in the world compete for a $1-million prize pool.

“The Blast Premier Counter Strike World Final is a prime example of our strategy to bring top-tier esports to the UAE’s capital,” Hartt underlined.

Last year’s Blast Premier World Final was the first time an esports event of this scale was held in the Middle East, with more than 6,000 fans attending the event at the Etihad Arena. In an all-European battle, Germany-headquartered G2 Esports defeated the Netherlands’ Team Liquid to become the champions.

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