Technology is constantly developing and expanding. in which we can see something new invented every day in many fields.If we talk about the field of electronic games, we can now recognize the continuous updating of these games and how these games become interesting and have their own fans and gamers.
Saudi Arabia always cares to develop in many fields, always looks forward and has growth interests in all types of sports. In recent years, Saudi Arabia has quickly become one of the centers of esports attraction and a host to many gamers and their fans in their esports events . With a tech-savvy and gaming-enthusiastic youth population, the country has been at the forefront of domesticating esports within its cultural boundaries.
Mohammad bin Salman, Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, has significantly boosted the gaming community by launching the largest Esports Events in Saudi Arabia 2024, promoting gaming and rebranding gamers.
Highlight Gamers’ Esports Events
The Gamers8 festival, now rebranded to the eSports World Cup, is a turning point in the field of gaming and gained a lot of attention all over the world, and it was a fun way for those people who are addicted to these sports to compete with others and play to win.
In addition to similar events that have generated a lot of interest and hosted tournaments for famous titles like League of Legends, Call of Duty, and FIFA. It not only helps local skill sets to be visible but also helps in drawing foreign teams and players for healthy competition.
Esports Events in Saudi Arabia:
The Gamers8 festival, which is now called the eSports World Cup, is a large gaming tournament that was held last year in Saudi Arabia, and the 3 winning teams were EpikWhale Malibu Ca, Chapix zAndy, and Kami Setty.
It is popular due to the combination of the intense gameplay, complex and constantly evolving strategy, and strong sense of community.
It is a military video game series that is classified as a first-person shooter game. It has many series titles, such as Modern Warfare, Warzone, Black Ops (the most popular one), and other titles.
It is the best world’s game that lets you play with the biggest leagues, clubs, and players in football. It is also an organization that is responsible for organizing and promoting football’s major international tournaments.
The Saudi government’s Support and Investment
According to Saudi Arabia Vision 2030:
The Saudi government seeks to invest in the esports industry. This plan intends to promote economic diversification and reduce oil dependency. 6 years ago, the council of ministers of Saudi Arabia founded the Saudi eSports Federation. It was firstly under the name “Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sports,” but then in 2021, the eSports Federation was separated from the intellectual sports federation to be named the “Saudi Esports Federation.”
Saudi Arabia planned to establish the first large esports district in Qiddiya city; they started construction at the beginning of 2019. It was planned to be opened in 2023 in spite of the incomplete major products, including Six Flags Qiddiya, the Aquarabia waterpark, and the Formula One racetrack till our current time of 2024. It is now expected to open in 2027; it spans 376 square kilometers and is wholly owned by the public investment fund (PIF), and it is all part of Saudi Vision 2030.
Esports events in Saudi Arabia not only involve competition but also concentrate on engaging the community. A lot of these fairs have various activities like workshops, panels, and meeting the professional gamers behind the screens. These activities enable fans to interact with their favorite players and acquire further knowledge about the gaming industry.
SOME ABOUT THE ESPORTS WORLD CUP (EWC):
The EWC has been held in a great venue called Boulevard City, and it took place almost all of July and August 2024, which were hosted by the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF), ESL Faceit Group, and VSPO. This year is the first edition of the annual championship, in which 500 of the best esports players participated in this sports competition and competed to win over 60 million dollars.
It is about 22 different games, including:
- Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG Mobile, Honor of Kings, Apex Legends, Rainbow Six Siege, and more.
The EWC also added a “Club Competition” for esports organizations to compete across multiple games, then collect the individual game results of all participating organizations and decide the best club in the world. In addition, several tournaments unrelated to both the main part of EWC and the Club Championship are also held within the EWC Festival area.
The total prize pool of the tournament, including the individual game prize pools and Club Championship, is 60,000,000 USD, including 40,000,000 USD to be shared with winners from 22 game titles and 20,000,000 USD spread among the organizations that win in the Club Championship.
The teams that win in eSports Events in Saudi Arabia
- Call of Duty Warzone: Team Falcons win
- Counter-Strike 2: Natus Vincere wins first place
- League of Legends :T1 team take the first place and Top Esports team below
- Dota 2: Gaimin gladiators beat Team liquid by 3-0 in the grand finals
- PUBG ( battlegrounds ): SONIQS win in the grand finals with 1000 point
Team Falcons has been announced as the winning club with total points 5665.
As well a lot of other winners in different games who were enthusiastic about competing and winning.
The Future of Esports in Saudi Arabia:
As esports grows, coupled with the expected trends in Saudi Arabia, it is very clear that in the future, this industry will prosper as well because of support from the Saudi Arabia government the nation is becoming known for hosting great esports events soon.
To sum up, Saudi Arabia is eager to join the eSports era. Filled with eye-catching contests and tournaments, legit governmental support, and a strong esports society, the country is seeking to leave a mark on the global esports area. If you are a gamer or a mere spectator, you will definitely choose to join Saudi Arabia, as it is the hottest place in the action-packed world of esports right now!
