Saudi Arabia and other investors’ acquisition of video game giant Electronic Arts at the end of September is poised to rewrite the industry’s rules. And for Arabic-speaking gamers and localization professionals, speculation abounds that the ownership shakeup may well lead to more and better Arabic game localizations for future releases.
But calls for increased investment in Arabic game releases are far from recent. In fact, for months and even years prior to the Electronic Arts deal’s announcement, industry leaders and Saudi Arabia’s own government have called for increased investments in Arabic gaming.
“We’re at a stage in which everybody games to some capacity,” said Fawzi Mesmar, vice-president of editorial at Ubisoft, in an interview with Publishing Perspectives. “From traditional gaming on consoles and PCs, to virtual-reality headsets and smartphones, it’s ubiquitous and with greater reach than anything else. That makes it an ideal space for Arab creative players to tell their stories to audiences that may not have heard of them before. In fact, audiences of gaming are frequently craving originality, especially from places they’re not familiar with.”
According to a study co-published by the Saudi Esports Federation and market research firms Niko Partners, quality Arabic localizations aren’t just good creative sense — they’re good business sense, too. Arab News reports that according to the study’s findings, total player spending within Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will reach $3.2 billion by 2028. Likewise, the number of GCC gamers is projected to increase from 33.7 million in 2023 to 38.9 million in 2028.
“As companies think about the value and return on investment of localizing their games, they consider how many gamers have not yet tried their games, perhaps because they were not relatable, or they were intimidating, or simply inaccessible. The goal is to welcome local gamers in target markets by incorporating appropriate levels of translation and culturalization, which in turn allows for the ocean of games to rise,” Lisa Cosmas Hanson, president and CEO of Niko Partners, told Arab News.
“With Arabic localization, not only will global developers reach more gamers in the Middle East and North Africa, but MENA-based developers take the same lesson and localize for other markets, so that their games and stories can be told and played around the world,” she added.
To be sure, many game developers have heeded that call already. According to Egyptian Streets, Machine Games’ acclaimed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, released in late 2024, is a new benchmark for authentic Arabic representation in a video game — specifically Egyptian Arabic.
From written representations to in-game non-player character dialogue and interactions, the Indiana Jones title takes pains to get not only the regional dialect but also the time period right. With a substantial portion of the game set in Giza, the absence of authentic Egyptian Arabic would be a jarring immersion breaker for any knowledgeable player. And when the industry standard from Western developers is a lazy reliance on Modern Standard Arabic, that’s a laudable commitment to accuracy, Egyptian Streets reports.
“Players can stumble upon things like handwritten recipes in Arabic for fuul medames and hamam mahshi, not only using correct Egyptian terms but also showcasing authentic phrasing and grammar,” Mohamed Khairat wrote for Egyptian Streets. “These are not poorly translated or computer-generated texts. They feel as though they were written by someone who genuinely knows and uses the dialect daily.”
Likewise, Asharq Al-Awsat reports that the highly anticipated action RPG Nioh 3 will include an Arabic localization helmed by Mohammed bin Salman Foundation subsidiary Manga Productions. The move signals a commitment to providing a quality Arabic localization for 38.9 million Arabic-speaking gamers on day one when Nioh 3 launches globally in early 2026.
“I can’t wait to see what an Arab Witcher game will be like or what other new forms of storytelling we can get from our culture that speak to the world.