Chairman of Asharqia Chamber’s Board of Directors, Fahad bin Abdullah Al-Farraj, affirmed that the “Asharqia Chamber Electronic Games Hackathon,” whose final stage concludes on June 21 and 22, is not merely a technical competition, but a strategic platform that seeks to turn young people’s passion for electronic games into entrepreneurial projects and promising startups, contributing to strengthening the Kingdom’s presence and consolidating its position on the map of the global electronic games industry.
Al-Farraj explained that the electronic games sector is one of the most promising sectors in the Kingdom, driven by the great support it receives within the targets of Vision 2030, which aim to raise the sector’s contribution to GDP to SAR 50 billion, provide more than 39,000 jobs, establish 250 companies specializing in game development, and produce more than 30 Saudi games capable of competing globally.
He noted that the hackathon is one of the high-quality initiatives launched by Asharqia Chamber to contribute to achieving the targets of Vision 2030 and to meet its strategic requirements of turning the local games sector into a global innovation hub.
Al-Farraj explained that the event comes through an extended strategic partnership with the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority “Monsha’at,” the Digital Entrepreneurship Center (CODE), and the companies Innosoft, Kamlna Studio, SBI Middle East, and Merak Capital. This joint cooperation aims to stimulate the innovation environment by enabling national talent to formulate prototypes to international standards and develop their technical and entrepreneurial skills, leading to the empowerment of promising projects and their transformation into products and startups that address the sector’s real challenges. He added that the Chamber gave great attention to the participants’ preparation stage, delivering more than eight specialized training workshops covering the various aspects of the electronic games industry, with the aim of raising their readiness and enabling them to develop projects with added value.
His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Eastern Province, had launched the hackathon on the sidelines of the “RAD 2025” entrepreneurship forum and exhibition. Its cash prizes exceed some SAR 200,000, with SAR 100,000 for first place, SAR 60,000 for second place, and SAR 40,000 for third place, amid the participation of more than 15 teams comprising more than 50 participants competing to present innovative solutions and ideas that contribute to developing the electronic games industry in the Kingdom.