Saudi Arabia announced that it's launching an annual Esports World Cup held in Riyadh with the most popular esports games and the largest prize pool ever.
Maybe you have already heard of Gamers8, a big gaming festival in Saudi Arabia with esports tournaments, concerts and much more. According to a recent announcement during the New Global Sport Conference by HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Gamers8 will evolve into the Esports World Cup.
Saudi Arabia To Host Annual Esports World Cup
In a huge B2B esports networking event with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, football legend Cristiano Ronaldo and many more famous people present, the Prime Minister announced that Saudi Arabia is launching an annual Esports World Cup held in Riyadh starting summer 2024.
JUST ANNOUNCED: HRH Crown Prince unveils the Esports World Cup #NGSC2023 Starting Summer 2024Hosted in Riyadh, KSA pic.twitter.com/ETb0DG2quP
— alathad alsaaody llryadat alalktrony (@Saudi_Esports) October 23, 2023
The Esports World Cup will have the largest prize pool in esports history and is supposed to feature the most popular games. While we could already see the trophy, we actually don't know yet what games will be part of the competition.
However, since Saudi Arabia already took over the esports organizer ESL and also holds shares of EA, Take-Two, Embracer, Activision Blizzard, Nintendo and many more, it shouldn't be a problem to convince publishers to come to Saudi Arabia.
The Esports World Cup is supposed to be another big step in achieving Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 objectives to diversify the country's economy and reduce their reliance on oil. To do so, Saudi Arabia's Savvy Games Group wants to invest huge sums into the gaming industry to make Saudi Arabia a global hub for gaming.
The Gamers8 festival, which will evolve into the Esports World Cup, is only part of this transformation, since another objective of Saudi Arabia is to set up over 200 games companies locally as well. As the prince says himself:
The competition will enhance our progress towards realizing the Vision 2030 objectives of diversifying the economy, growing the tourism sector, creating new jobs in various industries, and providing world-class entertainment for citizens, residents and visitors alike.
Saudi Arabia's efforts to become the biggest international gaming and esports hub has been met with criticism by many in the community, calling it "esportswashing" and thus comparing it to the "sportswashing"-allegations surrounding the upcoming awarding of the FIFA World Cup 2034.
Critics claim that Saudi Arabia is using esports and sports events to distract from human rights abuses, and in the past many esports organizations thus boycotted the Gamers8 festival. Since homosexuality is still illegal in Saudi Arabia and LGBTQ+ as well as women's rights are virtually non-existent, many question if players as well as staff and visitors of the Esports World Cup will be protected.
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