Transforming the gaming landscape with Web3.0

In this conversation with Gulf Business, GameCentric’s founder Saad Khan talks about his strategic plans to revolutionise gaming with a shift to Web3.0, build a diverse audience base in MENA and launch innovative brand engagement strategies.

Q: Tell us about your platform.

GameCentric was launched in December 2023 with significant funding of $1.5m from an angel investor. What sets us apart is our comprehensive understanding of the gaming industry, backed by insights from our diverse team of gamers.

Through a comparison of 12 global platforms, we identified critical gaps, such as inconsistent tournaments and a lack of prize pools.

Unlike many platforms that prioritise esports, GameCentric caters to both casual and competitive gaming. We aim to address infrastructure challenges, including instant prize payouts and enhanced socialisation features for gaming communities.

By offering a centralised platform focused solely on gaming, GameCentric stands out as a dedicated hub for gamers worldwide.

Q: What drove the funding for GameCentric?

The $1.5m investment marks the initial equity round for GameCentric, reflecting the investor’s confidence in our vision. Our investor is deeply committed to technology-driven products, aligning perfectly with our focus.

Moreover, our exploration of the crypto and token space underscores our commitment to innovation and future-proofing our platform.

The funding infusion will primarily fuel our expansion beyond the MENA region, targeting markets in Southeast Asia, India, South America, and Africa.

Q. What are your expansion plans?

We have expanded our game selection from 15 to over 50 titles. Our expansion plans are geared towards reaching a broader audience and fostering inclusivity within the gaming community. Currently, we boast a registered database of over 135,000 users.

Over the next 18 months, we aim to grow our platform to accommodate approximately 3-3.5 million gamers from various regions. Notably, we organised one of the first girl gaming tournaments four years ago, before the onset of the pandemic, which was highly successful.

Since then, we’ve observed an increasing number of female gamers joining our platform, although their gender isn’t always apparent from their usernames. To better understand our user demographics, we’ve enhanced our platform’s profiling capabilities to gather more comprehensive data about our users. This will enable us to track the participation of female gamers in our tournaments more accurately.

Additionally, we’re planning to launch specialised leagues, including a women’s league, a college league, and tournaments for people of determination, to promote inclusivity and diversity within the gaming community.

Q. What distinguishes your Web3.0 gaming platform from others?

Our Web3.0 gaming platform offers users the opportunity to play for free while earning rewards in fiat currency, such as dollars, along with loyalty and reward points. We’ve seamlessly integrated a web3 wallet into our platform, allowing users to sign in using their email address or mobile number, which automatically connects to their Web3.0 wallet.

This incentivises users to transition from fiat to web3 and acquire tokens, which will be released by us in Q3 this year. Prize pools are readily available on users’ profiles based on the number of fiat or Web3.0 tokens in their wallet, facilitating easy payout mechanisms.

Moreover, our platform aims to become the premier gaming aggregator by incorporating both Web2.0 and Web3.0 games, providing users with a diverse gaming experience, all at no cost, with significant earning potential for both casual gamers and esports enthusiasts.

Q. Why did you choose the UAE as your company’s base?

With 20 years of experience in the UAE, establishing our company in Dubai felt like a natural progression. Operating for seven years under the name Gamers of Media events, we rebranded as GameCentric in December 2023.

The UAE’s burgeoning gaming industry, coupled with its support for events like the Dubai Esports Gaming Festival, influenced our decision. We actively participate in such events, collaborating with over 100 schools and organising online and offline tournaments.

Additionally, our focus on gaming education aligns with the UAE’s vision for future job creation, as announced by the Dubai Future Foundation. We aim to contribute to the growth of the gaming ecosystem by providing career opportunities and educational modules to aspiring gamers and developers.

Q. Where do you envision GameCentric in 2030?

Under the GameCentric banner, our goal is to become the world’s largest gamer community within the next five to seven years. We aspire to offer the best user experience by partnering with various game publishers, sponsors, brands, and industry influencers.

By 2025, we aim to have a robust and active gaming database, fostering engagement and interaction among users.

Looking ahead to 2030, we envision GameCentric as the go-to platform for gamers worldwide, providing unparalleled opportunities for community building, gaming, and career advancement. We’re committed to realising this vision and contributing to the vibrant global gaming landscape.

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