Skyscrapers are all over Dubai.
Skyscrapers are all over Dubai.
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Voices in the Dubai gaming and esports ecosystem

  • Posted byby Dean Takahashi
  • Updated
  • 9 min

On a recent trip to the United Arab Emirates, I absorbed some of the environment for the growing industry of video games and esports in Dubai, where there are more than 100 gaming and esports startups.

Dubai is part of a fast-growing region when it comes to young players who have a lot of money to spend on video games. It’s also a magnet for those seeking to raise money in a world where it’s a lot harder to get money for game projects.

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Written by

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.