MENA Emerges as Global Growth Engine for Blockchain Gaming, BGA 2025 Report Finds
The Center East and North Africa (MENA) now account for practically 20% of the worldwide blockchain gaming workforce. This marks the biggest regional shift in trade historical past.
The Blockchain Sport Alliance’s 2025 State of the Trade Report, launched on the International Blockchain Present Abu Dhabi on December 10, 2025, highlights a dramatic shift in world expertise. MENA rose from simply 0.5% in 2021 to 19.8% in 2025—the quickest progress since monitoring started.
Explosive Progress Reshapes Regional Demographics
The BGA’s fifth annual survey indicators a basic rebalancing of the blockchain gaming panorama. Western markets are contracting, whereas different areas are accelerating digital infrastructure and strengthening regulatory frameworks.
The survey collected 506 legitimate responses in 2025, fewer than 623 in 2024. Western market contractions contributed to this decline. Nevertheless, rising areas confirmed actual progress: Africa now has 5.5% of trade professionals, and Latin America 11.9%, pointing to a transparent pivot away from conventional Asian and European dominance.
Feminine participation hit a document 22.7%, up from 17.3% in 2024. The best focus was amongst professionals aged 25 to 44. Youth-driven enlargement continues in MENA and Africa. Notably, 40% of African respondents are underneath 25 years outdated.
BGA 2025 Key Takeaways highlighting MENA’s progress to 19.8%, key trade drivers, and prime threats. Supply: BGA 2025 Report
Regulation and High quality Lead Trade Priorities
Professionals now rank regulatory readability as probably the most essential issue for the way forward for blockchain gaming. An amazing 64.4% anticipate coverage and regulation to form the trade positively. This exhibits rising perception that legitimacy is determined by clear authorized frameworks.
MENA international locations have moved rapidly in creating laws. The UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco are piloting or regulating stablecoin frameworks. This positions the area as a frontrunner in fee innovation. As an illustration, Oman skilled a 700% surge in digital funds inside one yr. Digital wallets now allow 74% of transactions, supporting blockchain-based economies with superior monetary techniques.
Excessive-quality sport launches ranked second amongst key drivers at 29.5%. This exhibits a transfer away from previous speculative fashions. Sustainable, revenue-driven enterprise fashions ranked third at 27.5%. Stablecoins drew 27.3% help as instruments for cross-border funds and in-game transactions.
Studios have adopted product-first approaches after vital market contraction. Blockchain gaming funding plunged from over $10 billion in 2022 to $293 million in 2025. Studios now deal with actual income moderately than token hypothesis. Guild participation dropped from 20.7% in 2022 to 7.9% in 2025, as unsustainable fashions collapsed.
Fraud, Funding Shortage, and AI Emerge as Prime Threats
Regardless of momentum, the trade faces severe obstacles. Scams and fraud stay prime threats, cited by 36.0% of respondents. Rug pulls and exploitative schemes nonetheless hinder mainstream adoption, particularly for risk-averse avid gamers.
Funding shortage is one other problem, rating second at 32.6%. The capital drought has pressured 80% to 93% of startups to shut since 2021. Main enterprise capital corporations have paused new investments. Studios should now show profitability and sustainability.
Synthetic intelligence presents each promise and threat. Though 46% see AI as a progress driver for advertising and marketing or content material creation, 38.9% fear about AI-enabled exploitation. Issues embody elevated dishonest, generic content material, and potential lack of artistic authenticity.
Digital Infrastructure Fuels MENA’s Aggressive Edge
MENA’s progress displays greater than pro-innovation regulation. The area’s digitally native inhabitants boasts excessive monetary literacy and threat tolerance, essential for blockchain adoption. Practically 45% of MENA merchants begin with demo accounts, signaling widespread demand for financial training. Regional shoppers obtain sturdy win charges and present the world’s highest threat urge for food.
Fashionable fee techniques play a key function. Many international locations deployed real-time settlement techniques, automated clearinghouses, and cell platforms. These cuts scale back transaction prices and shorten settlement instances, enabling cross-border worth transfers very important to blockchain gaming economies.
Main studios have taken discover. BGA survey respondents embody workers from Ubisoft, Sq. Enix, Cointelegraph, Polygon Labs, DMCC Dubai, and main regional monetary establishments. Conventional gaming and blockchain firms are converging. As publishers discover Web3, they combine new tech with out abandoning confirmed fashions.
Globally, stablecoins processed $27.6 trillion in 2024, with MENA main retail fee innovation. The area’s deal with regulation, infrastructure, and person experience positions it effectively as blockchain gaming strikes from area of interest to mainstream.
Trade Navigates Contraction Towards 2026 Restoration
Web3 token costs dropped 90% to 95% from prior highs. Studios are shifting away from token-driven fashions. Now, they like conventional income with blockchain components. Though many initiatives failed, survivors present stronger fundamentals. Studios with stable mental property and sustainable economics appeal to investor curiosity after two years of restricted funding.
MENA’s rise comes because the sector matures. Regional builders profit from steady regulation, diversified income, and capital from institutional buyers and sovereign wealth funds.
Looking forward to 2026, the trade’s focus is on whether or not high quality sport launches can ship long-awaited outcomes. MENA’s infrastructure, expertise, and regulatory setting give it a aggressive edge. Nevertheless, broad success will rely on creating video games individuals select for his or her leisure worth—not only for monetary incentives. The approaching yr will present if MENA can fulfill the promise of changing into blockchain gaming’s progress engine.
