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22 Local Startups Nominated for Saudi Entertainment Industry

Saudi Arabia’s entertainment sector is witnessing an unprecedented leap. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia’s entertainment sector is witnessing an unprecedented leap. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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22 Local Startups Nominated for Saudi Entertainment Industry

Saudi Arabia’s entertainment sector is witnessing an unprecedented leap. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia’s entertainment sector is witnessing an unprecedented leap. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The General Entertainment Authority has nominated 22 startups for the first Entertainment Business Accelerator, which aims to provide support for entrepreneurs interested in the sector.

The authority launched the business accelerator on Feb. 26, in a step that seeks to empower local competencies and emerging projects, given the unprecedented leap in recreational activities, in line with the Kingdom’s trends to diversify sources of income and increase non-oil revenues.

The program is intensifying its services for a period of 12 weeks, and aims to raise local competencies and empower entrepreneurs and startups in the field of entertainment by offering them workshops and guidance, and connecting them to a wide network of investors in the sector.

Entertainment projects in Saudi Arabia have proven their success in diversifying sources of income and increasing contribution to the gross domestic product, in addition to creating a number of jobs for male and female citizens.

The Business Accelerator program will enable startups to expand their business in the field of entertainment, by competing to provide the best quality of services in line with the government’s ambition and create multiple jobs for Saudis, in addition to diversifying sources of income and raising the sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product.

Observers believe that the program will contribute to raising local competencies and enhance the Kingdom’s readiness to host major entertainment projects.

Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority, said in earlier remarks that with the support of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, entertainment events held by the Authority from 2019 until the first quarter of this year attracted more than 120 million visitors - a record number that highlights the government’s interest in this vital and promising sector.

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Saudi Arabia Sets Guinness World Record with 95 Tons of Seasonal Seeds in Vegetation Cover Efforts

The achievement crowns a year of intensive efforts by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification. (SPA)
The achievement crowns a year of intensive efforts by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Sets Guinness World Record with 95 Tons of Seasonal Seeds in Vegetation Cover Efforts

The achievement crowns a year of intensive efforts by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification. (SPA)
The achievement crowns a year of intensive efforts by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia has reached a new global environmental milestone by earning a Guinness World Records title for the largest seasonal seed storage collection in the world, reflecting its ongoing commitment to environmental protection and sustainability, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.

The achievement crowns a year of intensive efforts by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification.

Over the course of the year, trained and specialized field teams traveled across the Kingdom to collect large quantities of native plant seeds in support of land rehabilitation projects and environmental sustainability initiatives.

The field teams successfully collected 31 species of local wild plants. The seeds underwent precise processing, including cleaning and purification to remove impurities and plant residues, before being stored according to the highest internationally recognized standards.

Seed warehouses housed more than 95 tons of rangeland and wild plant seeds, reinforcing the Kingdom’s leading role in environmental action and supporting the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 related to natural resource protection and combating desertification.

The Kingdom has recorded numerous environmental milestones at the national, regional, and global levels as part of its broader efforts to promote sustainability in line with Saudi Vision 2030 and international goals to combat desertification and mitigate climate change.

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'Call of Duty' Co-creator Vince Zampella Killed in Car Crash

Vince Zampella died while driving his Ferrari north of Los Angeles. Frederick M. Brown / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Vince Zampella died while driving his Ferrari north of Los Angeles. Frederick M. Brown / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
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'Call of Duty' Co-creator Vince Zampella Killed in Car Crash

Vince Zampella died while driving his Ferrari north of Los Angeles. Frederick M. Brown / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Vince Zampella died while driving his Ferrari north of Los Angeles. Frederick M. Brown / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Vince Zampella, the acclaimed co-creator of video gaming juggernaut "Call of Duty," has died in a car crash, gaming giant Electronic Arts confirmed on Monday. He was 55.

The developer and executive died on Sunday while driving his Ferrari on a scenic road north of Los Angeles, according to local broadcaster NBC4.

"For unknown reasons, the vehicle veered off the roadway, struck a concrete barrier, and became fully engulfed," the California Highway Patrol said in a statement, without identifying the two victims in the crash.

The CHP added that both the driver and a passenger who was ejected from the vehicle succumbed to their injuries, reported AFP.

Witnesses posted video of the mangled cherry-red Ferarri, engulfed in flames, on the mountain road. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

His studios created some of the world's best-selling video games, and Zampella was considered an innovator in first-person military shooter style games.

This year, when his "Battlefield 6" video game set a new sales record for the franchise, Zampella expressed gratitude, saying "we never take moments like this for granted" -- despite a long career of success in gaming.

The mass-combat game has won over 100 million players in the past two decades, in its various iterations.

And yet, that number isn't a first. To this day, "Call of Duty" boasts more than 100 milion active players, monthly.

"You have that dream of the game being popular, but I don't think you're ever ready for that level of success," Zampella told gaming site IGN in a 2016 interview.

Profound, far-reaching

Zampella was best known for co-creating the "Call of Duty" franchise and founding Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind "Titanfall,Apex Legends," and the "Star Wars Jedi" games.

After starting out in the 1990s as a designer on shooter games, he co-founded Infinity Ward in 2002 and helped launch "Call of Duty" in 2003. Activision later acquired his studio.

He left Activision under contentious circumstances and established Respawn in 2010, which Electronic Arts acquired in 2017.

At EA, he eventually took charge of revitalizing the "Battlefield" franchise, cementing his reputation as one of the most influential figures in modern first-person shooter games.

"This is an unimaginable loss, and our hearts are with Vince's family, his loved ones, and all those touched by his work," Electronic Arts said in a statement.

"Vince's influence on the video game industry was profound and far-reaching," the company said, adding that "his work helped shape modern interactive entertainment."

A statement by Respawn, posted on the "Battlefield" X account, praised Zampella "for how he showed up every day, trusting his teams, encouraging bold ideas, and believing in Battlefield and the people building it."

Zampella "championed what he believed was right for the people behind those studios and our players because it mattered."

"It was a bold, transgressive method of storytelling, of a moment in time that was political, that was violent and that was impactful," Washington Post video game reporter Gene Park told NBC4.

"He really knew how to create stories and create experiences, that really hit at the heart of human experience -- whether it was terror, dread, heroism. I think he was really able to kindof encapsulate that through the designs of the video games that he made," Park said.

Varieties

GEA Chairman Named 2025 ‘Promoter of the Year’ by Boxing News

Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and Saudi Boxing Federation President, was named “Promoter of the Year” for 2025 by the Britain-based Boxing News magazine. (SPA)
Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and Saudi Boxing Federation President, was named “Promoter of the Year” for 2025 by the Britain-based Boxing News magazine. (SPA)
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GEA Chairman Named 2025 ‘Promoter of the Year’ by Boxing News

Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and Saudi Boxing Federation President, was named “Promoter of the Year” for 2025 by the Britain-based Boxing News magazine. (SPA)
Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and Saudi Boxing Federation President, was named “Promoter of the Year” for 2025 by the Britain-based Boxing News magazine. (SPA)

Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and Saudi Boxing Federation President, was named “Promoter of the Year” for 2025 by the Britain-based Boxing News magazine, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

The recognition reflects Alalshikh influential contributions and growing role in advancing the global boxing industry, built on a series of initiatives led by him in recent years.

It celebrates his efforts in elevating the stature of major fight cards, raising organizational standards, and enhancing both the sporting and media experience of boxing events, with a vision and strong international partnerships that have been instrumental in attracting the sport’s biggest global names.