GAMES 2008 opens to acclaim from industry pioneers, regional trade, and gaming enthusiasts

The founders of the first Middle East gaming event to enjoy cross-industry support believe that GAMES 08 has the capacity to drive growth, innovation, and development in a business that is estimated to generate some $15.4bn in revenues by 2011 in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

"We're witnessing growth rates of 40% and above for sales locally, and we want to keep the momentum going," said Tim Stokes, Sales & Marketing Director PlayStation Division Sony Gulf.

"The aim of GAMES is not just to showcase the latest in gaming, but it's also to hear what the region's trade and gamers have to say, to develop for our business partners and end users here."

Joined by distributors and retailers from across the Gulf manufacturers Sony and Microsoft outlined their plans for upgrades to their existing hardware, whilst publishers including Activision, Electronic Arts, Midway, SEGA, THQ, and Ubisoft rolled out their own games pipelines for the coming months.

"We do welcome efforts to engage the region, to educate the gaming industry, and to provide us with the means to engage the public. There's so much excitement today around what is happening with gaming, the direction that manufacturers are taking in terms of their hardware, and the realism of the gaming experience. Whilst this is a start, we believe that GAMES 08 is the beginning of something much bigger,"

commented Armagan Demir, Head of the Entertainment & Devices Division, Middle East, Microsoft Gulf.

Held on the 17th and 18th, the agenda for GAMES 08 on its first day included presentations from publishers and key note speakers to discuss issues such as developing retail concepts, online gaming in the Middle East, as well as boosting the sales of legal software.

In the evening those people who have made outstanding contributions to the gaming industry in the Middle East will be awarded at gala dinner at Dubai's Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Open to the public from 6pm onwards on the 18th, publishers Atari, Capcom, Codemasters, Electronic Arts, Midway, Sega, Take Two, THQ, Ubisoft, and Vivendi Games will be present at GAMES 08 to meet and greet consumers and press well into the night, as well as give gamers a chance to preview the hottest titles scheduled for release in the coming 6 months.