Shaping Future of Esports: Niko Partners’ NGSC 2025 Wrap Up
The New Global Sport Conference (NGSC) 2025 was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia August 22-24, 2025. This is an impressive event, primarily because of the high standard of content and the number of executive and dignitary attendees. Lisa Hanson, CEO and Founder of Niko Partners, was invited to participate at the conference (her third time, given her participation at NGSC 2024 and the predecessor Next World Forum in 2023). She witnessed Ralf Reichert, CEO of Esports World Cup Foundation, announce the Esports Nations Cup (where teams will represent their nations, and she listened to informative speakers and panels.
Photo credit: Lisa Hanson
NGSC was held at the end of the EWC 8-week tournament, with regal fanfare throughout Riyadh. The city is growing at a pace that is hard to describe, even hard to fathom by only visiting annually. Office towers and entire cities (such as Qiddiya, where 109,000 workers are working round-the-clock) are under construction, and the overall vibe of investment is palpable. Officials strive toward Vision 2030, including through the building of a global hub for games and esports, and progress on all fronts is well under way.
Lisa’s numerous business discussions during the conference included casual conversations about the future of games and esports, the ever-changing regulatory landscape worldwide, and where growth will be found over the next few years. Niko Partners specializes in market intelligence of the games markets in Asia and MENA, and has covered these countries for more than two decades. Therefore, it was unsurprising to hear the general consensus that growth will come from Asia, including China, Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea, and India, and the Middle East (we project these markets to generate $100 billion in 2029)/ These are the markets we focus on. Given that, there was much to contribute to such discussions during NGSC.
Additionally, the nature of data and market intelligence is evolving along with the growth of AI in games and society. Lisa was interviewed on an NGSC Studio podcast alongside Moritz Maurer of Grid, where she and Moritz answered questions on the trends in data, analysis, insights and measurement, all in the face of AI playing a greater role in business operations and decision-making.
Source: New Global Sport Conference
She also moderated a panel on IP Strategies, with Dan Clancy, CEO of Twitch; Eric Shanks, CEO of Fox Sports; Shuji Utsumi, President & COO of SEGA; and Enrico D’Angelo, VP of Product Economy at Roblox. This conversation shed light on platforms, growth, and how to build games for the future.
Source: New Global Sport Conference
All in all, NGSC 2025 was remarkable for many positive reasons. Keep an eye on Riyadh as a global hub for games and esports. In the meantime, check out Niko’s MENA Games Market Report Series. Stay up to date with MENA video games and esports scene through NikoIQ, our intelligent online dashboard. We’re available to discuss your needs for bespoke research through our Custom Research & Consulting Service.