{"id":20883,"date":"2023-01-27T07:23:28","date_gmt":"2023-01-27T07:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meretailnews.com\/?p=20883"},"modified":"2023-01-27T07:23:28","modified_gmt":"2023-01-27T07:23:28","slug":"uae-malls-look-to-gaming-zones-to-attract-visitors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meretailnews.com\/2023\/01\/27\/uae-malls-look-to-gaming-zones-to-attract-visitors\/","title":{"rendered":"UAE malls look to gaming zones to attract visitors"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nAccording to data and research company Statista, revenue in the video games segment is expected to reach $306.10 million this year. It is expected to grow at a 5.04 per cent annual rate (CAGR 2023-2027), resulting in a market volume of US$372.60 million by 2027.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a report by consultancy firm Redseer had earlier said that the size of the Middle East and North Africa gaming market is projected to increase 19 per cent to more than $5 billion by 2025, from 2019. With this untapped potential, malls in the country are rushing to add gaming zones as major attractions, looking to hone in on the four-and-a-half million users that are predicted to be part of this industry in the UAE by 2027.<\/p>\n
For example, just last December, Circle Mall in Dubai’s Jumeirah Village Circle gave incentives to attract shoppers to participate in its gaming zone. Shoppers could spend AED 150 at the mall, and shoppers get to play online football tournaments for free.<\/p>\n
\u201cMalls are betting that gamers in the UAE are ready play and compete out in public,\u201d said a retail sector analyst to Gulf News. \u201cMost of these dedicated players are typically confined to the privacy of their rooms when testing out their skills with the best in the gaming universe. Malls believe with the right atmosphere and all the latest tech<\/a> and devices, these gamers can be persuaded to play in the open. If malls make that happen, they get a captive audience and best use of the dedicated gaming zones.”<\/p>\n Al Zahia City Centre – Majid Al Futtaim’s latest mall in Sharjah – features stores like Yalla Fun that not only sell but also allow shoppers to play these games in-store.<\/p>\n The 4,500 square metre ‘Pixoul Gaming’ hub at Al Qana, Abu Dhabi’s sparkling new leisure and entertainment destination, has been open since late October. Aldar, the master developer, recently formed a partnership with Nigma Galaxy, an esports entity, for a dedicated training facility at Yas Mall. In addition, Aldar plans to construct gaming zones in its residential communities.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the gaming sector is no more limited to children and teenagers in the country.\u00a0\u201cGamer demographics are also expanding, to include the 35-40 age bracket and more women gamers than before,\u201d said Jobin Joejoe, Deputy Managing Director for Sony Middle East and Africa to Gulf News. \u201cThe GCC is growing faster than the rest of the region, especially in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.<\/p>\n Apart from this, the gaming industry has picked up pace since the Covid-19 induced pandemic, after witnessing a decline in 2022.\u00a0\u201cAfter several years of growth, the UAE gaming PC market is expected to post a decline in 2022 of around nine per cent,\u201d Fouad Charakla, Associate Research Director, Client Devices (META), at tech<\/a> firm IDC told Gulf News.\u00a0However, he added that his company expects to see a six per cent growth in the industry in 2023.<\/p>\n