Saudi-backed Kingdom of Gaming pushed to 2027 as regional conflict bites

Kingdom of Gaming, the Saudi government-backed industry event originally set for December 1-3 in Riyadh, has been delayed to an unspecified date in 2027. No official announcement explains the slip. The event's website and social accounts were quietly updated last week to read "Coming in 2027," as first reported by ReaderGrev. The change replaced the original December dates with no accompanying statement from the organizers.

The closest thing to an acknowledgement came from Benjamin Kratsch, chief business development officer at Levelz Gaming Group, a Saudi government-linked venture builder. "Kingdom of Gaming is coming," Kratsch wrote on LinkedIn on October 28. "It takes a little longer, given the current situation."

Who runs the event, and what was promised?

Tahaluf organizes Kingdom of Gaming. Tahaluf is a joint venture between Informa — the company behind GDC — and the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones. The event had made large commitments for its debut:

• More than 20,000 attendees
• 500 studios
• 200 investors
• A line-up including Ubisoft and Roblox

Those numbers now sit in limbo. Neither Informa nor Tahaluf responded to requests for comment, according to ReaderGrev.

What does the delay change for Informa's business?

Plenty. In a trading update on October 27, Informa said escalating disruption in Saudi Arabia had forced it to reschedule further events in the kingdom. That's a concrete financial signal, not just a scheduling note.

Two more Informa shows are affected:

• Cityscape Global, moved to January 2027
• The in-person Global Health Exhibition, pushed to October 2027

Informa now assumes it will make no further revenue in Saudi Arabia this year. For a company whose portfolio spans GDC and a growing Middle East events calendar, that is a meaningful write-down of a market it had been building toward.

For studios and investors who had committed to the Riyadh dates, the practical question is simple: what does this change for their regional plans? At minimum, any launches, partnerships or investor meetings pegged to December now need a new anchor, and the 2027 date gives no quarter or month to plan around yet.

Why now?

The delay lands amid the wider regional conflict following the US and Israel's war with Iran. Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have escalated in recent weeks, including strikes on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport — the airport most international attendees would have flown through for a December show.

That context explains the silence, too. A quiet website edit is easier than a press release that names the security situation outright.

What happens next?

Watch for two things: whether Tahaluf or Informa publicly confirms new 2027 dates, and whether further Saudi-backed gaming initiatives — a growing part of the kingdom's diversification push — follow Kingdom of Gaming into delay.