Mobile game downloads in the Middle East shot up 28 per cent in March as many people were confined to their homes to stop the spread of the coronavirus, according to a mobile advertising agency.
The average amount of time per day spent on mobile gaming per user also increased by 24 per cent month-on-month, according to AdColony.
"Some 85 per cent of regional consumers are playing mobile games for relief, according to our survey conducted in late March,” said Volkan Bicer, general manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa at AdColony - one of the largest mobile advertising platforms with a reach of more than 1.5 billion users globally.
“Mobile games have always been popular in the Middle East,” he added.
The mobile gaming industry in the Middle East is set to grow by 25 per cent a year over the next two years, reaching $4.4 billion (Dh16.1bn) by 2022, according to a report issued in December by Amsterdam-based market research firm Newzoo.
Growth is being propelled by the region's young and fast-growing population, as well as a “deep penetration of smartphones", the report said.
“During these trying times, gaming has become a means of escapism and time filling for many,” according to Neil Campling, co-head of Mirabaud Securities’ Global Thematic Group.
“As a result, one of this year’s growth drivers is an increased interest in gaming due to Covid-19-related lockdown measures. However, the launch of the next-generation consoles towards the end of the year will also be a key contributing factor.”
By the end of 2020, Sony is set to release the Playstation 5 console, while rival Microsoft's console arm is set to launch the Xbox X.
Gaming is currently the most profitable form of entertainment in the world, with the industry split into mobile games, e-sports streaming, console purchases and more.
It is expected that the world’s 2.7 billion gamers will spend $159.3bn on games this year and the market will surpass $187.8bn by 2022, Newzoo's report said.
“Mobile gaming will be the fastest-growing segment [of gaming industry] in 2020, enjoying more than 11.6 per cent year-on-year growth globally,” said Tom Wijman, senior market analyst at Newzoo.
“Unlike previous years, emerging markets such as the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia will drive growth in coming months … with each market’s game revenues producing double-digit growth.”
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Brief scores:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs: 2018 Maserati Levante S
Price, base / as tested: Dh409,000 / Dh467,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 430hp @ 5,750rpm
Torque: 580Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.9L / 100km
MATCH INFO
First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs
Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets
Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13
Mobile phone packages comparison
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
