FutureART
July 5, 2026

How Chinese Gaming Companies Can Enter the Middle East Through Influencer Marketing

Lessons from Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and other case studies on how Chinese gaming companies use influencer marketing to enter the Middle East.

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The Middle East is one of the fastest-growing gaming markets globally, and Chinese gaming companies — armed with mature products and operational experience — are competing hard for share. Influencer marketing plays a central role in that competition.

What Mobile Legends: Bang Bang shows us

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang's success across the Middle East and North Africa owes a lot to deep partnerships with local gaming streamers and esports players — sustained streaming and tournament content built a strong sense of belonging among core players, rather than relying purely on paid user acquisition.

Gaming streamers understand player psychology better than general creators

Compared to broad entertainment influencers, creators focused specifically on gaming content understand target players' real needs and discussion topics more deeply, and their recommendations and live content drive download conversion more directly.

Esports events build long-term visibility

Sponsoring or hosting local esports tournaments helps gaming brands establish a sustained presence within core player communities, rather than a one-time visibility spike at launch — a strategy shared by many successfully-exported gaming titles.

Localization goes beyond language, into the game itself

Beyond Arabic localization of interfaces and text, some Chinese gaming companies also adjust character design, event themes, and monetization structures for the Middle East market, to better align with local players' cultural preferences and spending habits.

Our influencer marketing team has gaming streamer and esports creator resources across the Middle East, helping Chinese gaming companies plan a complete path from awareness building to player retention.

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