- Unprecedented prize pool of $60m at stake from July 3 to Aug. 25
- Aim for sport to add $13bn to GDP, says federation’s Prince Faisal
Aisha Fareed
RIYADH: The inaugural Esports World Cup was launched with much fanfare in Riyadh on Tuesday night ahead of the contest which begins today and ends on Aug. 25.
The event features a cross-game format of 22 competitions across 21 premier titles. There is a prize pool of $60 million at stake, the largest in the sport’s history.
At a press conference here on Tuesday, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation, said the event would boost the sport in the country.
“As a gamer from as far back as I can remember, it gives me immense pride when people come to our country and realize fully just how gaming-passionate a nation Saudi Arabia is.
“The figure that 23.5 million people in Saudi Arabia — out of a population of 35 million — are gamers is an incredible number and proof of what gaming means to us as a nation.
“But it doesn’t tell you the full story. Gaming to this nation, gaming to me, means meeting a fellow gamer in person or online, and instantly having a connection. That is the power of gaming, and that is the power of the gaming community.”
He said the event aligns with the Kingdom’s National Gaming and Esports Strategy, which aims to ensure the sector creates jobs and contributes $13 billion to the country’s gross domestic product.
“The Esports World Cup, a global celebration of competitive excellence and esports fandom, will connect the global gaming community like never before, with its focal point right here in Riyadh. Let the games begin,” he said.
Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, said the event was a “historic culmination of two universal languages, gaming and sports, to unite the global community across games, leapfrog the esports industry, and drive growth across the entire ecosystem.
“I’m immensely proud that we’ve created new possibilities for our sport, and I am very excited to watch elite esports clubs and players compete across the world’s best games for life-changing prizes and to be crowned the first Esports World Cup Club Champion.”
In an interview with Arab News, Faisal bin Homran, chief product officer of the Esports World Cup Foundation, said the event would have a “local, regional, and international impact from a club’s perspective, players’ perspective, and also publishers’ perspective.
“Those publishers today are coming to the Kingdom to invest more and do more studio gaming ideas, collaborate with the local market, getting more players and teams, from an academic perspective, to join the Saudi gaming community. We expect a lot of those numbers to increase in the next few weeks.”
The competition spans a diverse array of titles, including “Apex Legends” and “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Siege.” There is a prize pool of $20 million in the club championship contest.
The event will feature community tournaments, pop culture celebrations, and international music acts. Partnerships have been signed with leading sports, beverage, technology and social media companies.