Riyadh - Sharikat Mubasher: The gaming landscape in Saudi Arabia is experiencing a fundamental transformation fueled by a profound cultural embrace of gaming as a premier form of entertainment.

The Kingdom ranked first among regional gaming markets by value, with an annual spending of nearly $1 billion, and the highest average revenue per user (ARPU) of $393 in the Middle East, according to a recent study conducted by Galal & Karawi Management Consulting (G&K), in collaboration with Orient Planet Group.

The study showed that the Kingdom’s spending on video-on-demand services recorded $310 million, while expenditure on digital music reached nearly $140 million.

Within the categories analyzed, the Kingdom also accounted for about 69% of total consumer expenditure on digital media.

The study compiled data from accredited and reliable sources, most notably Statista and DataReportal, along with their key partners such as GSMA Intelligence and SimilarWeb. It focused on trends related to video games, video-on-demand, and digital music in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt.