If the rumours are to be believed, the Call of Duty franchise is heading back to the Gulf War era in 2024.
And, if so, it will not be the first game set in the Middle East. The list does not just centre around shooters either, a variety of genres see their stories told across the Mena region in creative fashion.
Here, The National rounds up seven of the best games to date.
1. 'Assassin’s Creed Origins' (2017)
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Ubisoft’s long-running stealth action game took a trip to Egypt in 2017. It recreated a number of the country’s most-famous landmarks, such as the River Nile and the ancient pyramids, for characters to leap off and cause chaos from.
Assassin’s Creed Origins has a brilliant “discovery mode” where you can switch off all the violence and simply walk around like a tourist and learn about Egypt’s rich history. There are places to see and historical characters to discover, showing how the country was shaped.
2. 'Forza Motorsport 7' (2017)
Developer: Turn 10
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
The UAE stars in Forza Motorsport 7. The Xbox-exclusive racer dedicated an entire track to the emirates. The developers use their creative license, mind. One second you’re zooming past a hotel in Al Ain and the next you’re speeding through a tunnel under DXB and alongside Sheikh Zayed Road. It’s not accurate, but it’s a very entertaining track. UAE residents will likely find the level of detail trackside to be very impressive … even if it is in the wrong order.
3. 'Prince of Persia' (2008)
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
A fantastical take on the ancient region comes in the form of Prince of Persia (2008). The action-adventure game takes its cues from the ancient Iranian religion of Zoroastrianism. It heavily features Persian architecture and ruins, rolling sand dunes and historical teachings of the time. They all combine to provide complete immersion for the player from start to finish, as you jump your way through impossible assault courses and solve tricky puzzles.
4. 'Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain' (2015)
Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: Konami
Kojima Productions turned Afghanistan into a huge sandbox of possibilities. The open world action uses the Afghani countryside, villages and mountains as a playground. Players can sneak up a cliffside, scout the area and plot a safe route in to an enemy Soviet camp; or gallop in on horseback under the cover of darkness and hit the enemy with shock and awe. The best part? You can use a balloon system to airlift Afghan wildlife back to a sanctuary, which you can visit later.
5. 'F1 22' (2022)
Developer: Codemasters
Publisher: EA Sports
Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi has never looked as good as it does in the most recent F1 racer. The final circuit on the race calendar features the slightly new layout, which drivers will face in November. The day/night cycle, which is synonymous with the Yas Island race, is in full effect. And, seeing the W Abu Dhabi hotel and expensive yachts in the marina lit up in all its glory is always a thrill as you zip past them at speeds of more than 200mph.
6. 'Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception' (2011)
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Hailed as the Indiana Jones of video games, Nathan Drake’s third adventure takes him through several Middle Eastern countries across. There are the narrow and twisting streets and cave systems of Yemen. A moonlight raid on a heavily guarded crypt in Syria. And, a very dramatic trip to Rub Al Khali (Empty Quarter) desert which sees Drake desperately try to escape safely from a plane before it crashes.
7. 'Spec Ops: The Line' (2012)
Developer: Yager Development
Publisher: 2K Games
A slightly controversial entry, as some fans were upset about the depiction of Dubai in Spec Ops: The Line. The game shows the emirate in a state of disrepair. It’s been ravaged by sandstorms and war and reduced to a standstill as the CIA drop in to find their missing men. However, what could easily have been a brainless shooter turns out to be a psychological thriller, which uses Dubai as a perfect backdrop to show the very real horrors of war from both sides of it.
Monday's results
- UAE beat Bahrain by 51 runs
- Qatar beat Maldives by 44 runs
- Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait by seven wickets
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1
Calvin Harris
Columbia
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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