GAMERS8 TO RETURN TO RIYADH IN 2023

Gamers8 is returning to Saudi Arabia in 2023, and its massive prize fund is changing the paradigm of eSports in the process.The tournament, which will commence in July in Riyadh, will offer a $45M purse, the largest prize pool in the history of electronic gaming. Dubbed, “The Land of Heroes,” the tournament’s total purse will eclipse even 2021’s Dota 2 tournament. And while the games set to be contested are yet to be announced, the 2022 edition featured Dota Fortnite, Rocket League, Rainbow Six Siege and PUBG Mobile; the upcoming edition will no doubt feature these among other popular games.

Set to take place over eight weeks, lasting until late August, the festival will be the centrepiece of the year’s gaming calendar, bringing together thousands of the world’s top competitors to vie for prizes that will be lucrative not only on a team level, but also individually. Some individual prizes last year exceeded $100,000, and with the overall prize fund increased by some 50% this year, we can expect a similar increase on that end of things as well.

As yet, it’s unclear whether the participants will be determined on an invitation basis or if any qualifiers will be organized, but a $2M prize pool will be offered for Rocket League alone, enticing the world’s very best gaming teams to participate. Produced under the auspices of Savvy Gaming Group, a state-funded initiative that plans to inject more than $30B into the eSports economy, Gamers8 will undoubtedly be even more of a landmark event than previous editions.

Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, Chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation, said: “Showcasing the most popular titles on the planet will be amplified further this summer. To be frank, when we mean bigger and better this summer – we truly mean it. We can not wait to reveal what we have in store.”

Also key to the festival’s success, as it has been in previous editions, will be an audience component. Much like the World Cup in Qatar, the organizers envision Gamers8 as a “destination for the world’s elite esports champions and gaming universe lovers.” To this end, they will not only feature live gaming competition, but also live music, behind-the-scenes events with game developers, roundtable discussions, and more.