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The Home of European eSports – European Gaming League, has partnered with Red Stallion Interactive to set up the Middle East Gaming League.   Red Stallion Interactive and European Gaming League (EGL) have formed a strategic business relationship to set up the Middle East Gaming League operation (MEGL), which will bring eSports to the Gulf and MENA region in 2015.

Over 70 million people currently watch eSports  globally and that figure is set to increase year on year.  eSports is now becoming popular in the Gulf and MENA region, and Red Stallion Interactive is delighted to partner with EGL. EGL  has developed a world-class platform alongside a sustainable business model, which will bring ongoing value to the many large Middle Eastern groups interested in sponsoring such events, as well as unparalleled entertainment to the gamers and spectators, both through online and physical tournaments.

The EGL platform has been customised to meet MEGL requirements, notably supporting Arabic, and enabling Red Stallion Interactive to target the full MENA region. Starting from its home base in the Gulf countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates), MEGL will progressively expand to cover all 18 countries in the MENA region including Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, as well as Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, which represent a total population in excess of 200 million people, 10% of which are estimated to be avid gamers.

“This partnership is great news for gamers in the Middle East as well as EGL.  Working with Red Stallion Interactive is an exciting opportunity for us and will help to grow eSports in that region as well as to cultivate relationships with publishers and brands”, said Glen Elliott, joint Managing Director of EGL.

MEGL will introduce its first tournament at the beginning of July, with a plan to subsequently roll out multiple online and physical tournaments in the most prestigious venues and cities in the region.

Rashed Mokhdad, eSports Manager at Red Stallion Interactive explains:

"We can keep the momentum going with weekly online tournaments, engaging new players and teams, and will eventually introduce initiatives that can take players to official international events. We think that even players who are not into competitive gaming and just love sports will definitely fall in love with the environment and atmosphere. Once they see it in action with MEGL, we are convinced that even regular physical sport fans will see the value of eSports as a real competitive field."

Red Stallion Interactive Qatari and Bahraini shareholders and board members bring to MEGL a huge network of high-level business contacts across the region, enabling  MEGL to rapidly create customized events and leagues. This will deliver the ultimate objective of offering gamers the opportunity  to compete against each other and reach the level of pro-players globally, giving young Arabic gamers unique personal growth and employment opportunities.

This agreement is in line with Red Stallion Interactive development strategy. The company, which started its operations in 2013, is set to become the leading regional game publisher, digital distributor and event organizer. Red Stallion Interactive has a strong partnership with global digital publisher, Mastertronic, and its dedicated Get Games and Just Flight divisions and will build a gaming hub for the region where Indie developers, gamers and the society at large can learn and participate in the buoyant video game industry.

Dr. Mohamed Juman, Chairman of Red Stallion Interactive, says:

"We are delighted about our partnership with EGL: their platform and their business model are very strong, and the initial collaboration has already been very fruitful, with a strong knowledge transfer to our regional teams, and a bright outlook for the Middle East operation. We will work with EGL to make MEGL the undisputed leader in eSports in the region, associating prestigious game publishers to the initiative, and the most notable brands in the region. This new operation will also provide numerous employment opportunities for qualified young Arabs, many of whom dream of working in the gaming industry, but rarely have the opportunity to do so"