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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is home to 35 million people, 23.5 million of whom are gamers. The Kingdom has decided to harness this potential to become a world centre for esports and gaming. Therefore, the Saudi Esports Federation was established, the authority dedicated to nurturing elite gamers and developing the country's gaming community and industry.
Earlier this year, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, announced the establishment of Savvy Gaming Group. Savvy was founded under the chairmanship of Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of PIF, with the aim of becoming a leading gaming and esports group both locally and internationally. Savvy then acquired esports company ESL Gaming for over $1 billion and tournament organiser FACEIT for $500 million, before merging them into the "ESL FACEIT Group".
According to a report by consultancy Redseer, about 69% of adult women in the Kingdom are into digital gaming, 1% more than their male counterparts.
So, Saudi Arabia has decided to organise Gamers8, the biggest esports and gaming event, which will take place from 14 July in Riyadh.
For eight weeks in Riyadh, teams will compete in games such as Rocket League, Dota 2, Fortnite, Rainbow Six and PUBG Mobile under the theme "Gamers8 - Your Portal to the Next World". The total prize pool will be $15 million.
In addition to the gaming component, concerts, festivals and celebrity shows have been added to the entertainment.
Developing the entire value chain of games and esports opens up the Saudi market to investors and the public. It will boost career paths and jobs in sectors related to creativity, entrepreneurship and talent development - ideal for Saudi Arabia's young, digitally savvy population.
Developing esports in Saudi Arabia diversifies the Kingdom's economy, which not only strengthens Saudi Arabia's position as a regional leader in esports, but also enables it to become a leading global media hub.
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