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       lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
       
       
       ARTICLE VIEW: 
       
       Inaugural Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia, worth more than $60M,
       hopes to send ‘positive message’ to struggling industry
       
       By Ben Church, CNN
       
       Updated: 
       
       9:03 AM EDT, Tue April 16, 2024
       
       Source: CNN
       
       Boasting the largest prize pool in esports history, this year’s
       inaugural 2024 Esports World Cup (EWC) could prove to be a pivotal
       moment for the .
       
       Organized by the Esports World Cup Foundation – and with the latest
       details announced on Tuesday – the EWC will bring together gamers,
       publishers and fans from across the world under one roof for an
       eight-week competitive gaming bonanza in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
       
       The tournament will include top global clubs competing against each
       other across 19 esports titles, including Apex Legends, Counter-Strike
       2, Dota 2, EA Sports FC 24, Fortnite, League of Legends, Rocket League,
       StarCraft II, Street Fighter 6 and TEKKEN 8.
       
       Clubs will be able to choose which games they participate in before the
       best performing team across the various championships will be crowned
       the ultimate Esports World Cup champion for the very first time.
       
       While other esports prize purses have shrunk due to well-reported
       financial struggles felt across the industry, the EWC boasts over $60
       million in prize money, which will be broken down into different
       categories such as player bounties ($50,000 MVP awards per individual
       competition) and prizes for overall performance (over $33 million
       allocated for the game competitions).
       
       It also comes after a difficult period in which the industry saw
       large-scale layoffs, which included game developer and publisher Riot
       Games letting at the start of the year.
       
       According to the , esports leagues are struggling to make money, while
       sponsors have slashed their advertising budgets and many teams are now
       operating at a loss.
       
       Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, hopes this new
       competition in Saudi Arabia can be a game changer.
       
       “Setting the record for largest esports prize pool is a remarkable
       achievement, but what I’m most proud of is the positive message this
       sends to the wider esports and gaming community,” Reichert said in a
       statement.
       
       “More than $60 million is a testament to our investment in the future
       of global esports, a commitment to esports fans who deserve exceptional
       events and an extension of our mission to create meaningful competitive
       opportunities with life-changing prize pools for esports players
       everywhere.”
       
       The debut event will held later this year in Saudi Arabia – a nation
       looking to invest heavily in the esports industry.
       
       The event will have over 645,000 sq. ft. of venue space and features
       four separate esport arenas. Organizers say they expect to welcome 2.9
       million fans through its doors, with the event to include two music
       concerts, as well as six drone and firework shows.
       
       The EWC continues Saudi Arabia’s large foray into esports –
       following last year’s , which boasted a $45 million prize purse.
       
       The nation has invested huge sums of money into more traditional sports
       in recent years, such as , , and .
       
       The kingdom has previously pushed back on allegations of “,” which
       involves nations using high-profile sporting events to project a
       favorable image of their country around the world, often to draw
       attention away from alleged wrongdoing.
       
       Organizers say the EWC will not be funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public
       Investment Fund (PIF) but instead be made up of a combination of the
       host nation’s funding and sponsorship deals.
       
       In 2023, Saudi launched ‘The National Gaming and Esports Strategy’
       (NGES) which hopes to make the country the center of the competitive
       gaming world by 2030.
       
       Announcing the event in October of last year, Saudi’s Crown Prince
       Mohammed bin Salman : “The Esports World Cup is the natural next step
       in Saudi Arabia’s journey to become the premier global hub for gaming
       and esports, offering an unmatched esports experience that pushes the
       boundaries of the industry.”
       
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