Gamescom 2026: Dubai highlights gaming investment opportunities

Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy used Gamescom 2026 in Cologne to spotlight the emirate’s gaming ecosystem and to promote investment opportunities, holding 16 meetings with companies, investors, publishers, digital platforms, service providers and other stakeholders across the global gaming community. The delegation promoted Dubai’s Business in Dubai platform and outlined the Dubai Program for Gaming 2033, setting concrete targets for jobs and GDP contribution as part of a push to attract capital, partnerships and studio relocations.

"The Dubai Program for Gaming 2033 aims to place Dubai among the world’s top 10 gaming hubs by 2033, create 30,000 new sector-related jobs and raise the gaming sector’s contribution to the emirate’s digital economy and GDP to approximately $1 billion," the chamber stated as part of its Gamescom briefings.

At Gamescom 2026, the chamber staged targeted discussions with German and international stakeholders to map practical routes for market entry, partnerships and project development. Meetings covered industry developments, expertise and best practices and explored cooperation across developer mentoring, accelerator programmes, hackathons, product development, studio management and operations, cloud services, distribution, creator engagement and user acquisition. The emphasis was on pairing company-attraction initiatives and incentives with measures to strengthen the local developer pipeline and improve access to publishing, distribution and specialist capital.

• Delegation activity: 16 meetings with investors, publishers, platforms and service providers.
• Strategic programme: Dubai Program for Gaming 2033 — top-10 hub target, 30,000 jobs, ~$1 billion sector contribution.
• Business gateway: Promotion of Business in Dubai platform as an integrated digital gateway to establish and scale operations in the emirate.

The chamber positioned the Business in Dubai platform as a value-added service for gaming entrepreneurs and companies seeking to establish or expand in the emirate. The platform, presented during Gamescom, offers an integrated digital gateway providing corporate services in partnership with relevant entities to streamline market entry and growth. The delegation also discussed institutional investment in digital infrastructure — notably data centres and related assets — as essential enablers for studio operations, online distribution and cloud-based development tools.

Discussions with Germany’s gaming ecosystem considered both bilateral cooperation and wider connectivity with regional capital and venture funds. Participants evaluated potential partnerships to support sustainable commercial growth, including specialized delegations, international events and activations, team bootcamps and event hosting in Dubai. The chamber highlighted Dubai’s role in connecting companies with international investment funds and regional venture capital firms as a way to bridge developers to publishing and distribution channels.

Looking ahead, the chamber’s Gamescom activity framed a roadmap for attracting investment at multiple stages of studio growth — from early-stage startups to scaling studios — and for mobilising specialist capital and expertise. With the Dubai Program for Gaming 2033 providing headline targets, the next phase will hinge on translating the Gamescom conversations into concrete MoUs, accelerator tie-ups, and investment commitments that can advance the emirate’s aspiration to become a global gaming hub by 2033.