Mohammed bin Salman: the next natural step in the kingdom's journey to become the world's first Center for games and e-sports

His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and prime minister, announced today the launch of the e-Sports World Cup, the largest event of its kind in the world, organized by the kingdom in Riyadh annually starting in the summer of 2024.
His Highness The Crown Prince also announced the establishment of the e-Sports World Cup Foundation, a non-profit organization that will organize the tournament and will be the engine that will move this sector to a new stage of cooperation between all partners and stakeholders in the gaming and e-sports system to benefit from its real potential and promote the growth and sustainability of the sector.
This announcement came during the "new world sports conference", hosted by the kingdom with the honor of His Highness The Crown Prince, and a large attendance of leaders and dignitaries in the sports sector and the gaming and e-sports sector around the world.
His Highness said:" the e-Sports World Cup is the next natural step in the kingdom's journey to become the first Global Center for games and e-sports, as it will provide an unparalleled experience, beyond what is customary in the sector, " stressing-may God protect him-that the tournament will contribute to strengthening our commitment to achieving the goals of the kingdom's Vision 2030, including diversifying the economy, enhancing the tourism sector, providing job opportunities in various sectors, and providing high-level entertainment for citizens, residents and visitors alike.
This tournament will be a major tributary in achieving the strategic endeavors of the gaming and e-sports sector, contributing to achieving more than 50 billion riyals of GDP by 2030, providing 39 thousand new job opportunities in the sector, and turning Riyadh into the capital of electronic games, and it is also planned that the tournament will be held in closed halls, accompanied by many activities and events, to be a unique opportunity to attract a new segment of visitors interested in the electronic games sector and activate the tourism sector in Riyadh during the summer, which in turn will contribute to enhancing the occupancy rates of guesthouses, which usually a decrease of up to 16% in the summer period, in addition to Tourist spending decreased by 18% in the summer period. The tournament provides an opportunity to compensate for the significant decline in the rate of spending in restaurants and cafes, which reaches 13% in the summer period and the rate of consumer spending, which reaches 9% in the summer period.
The launch of the kingdom's e-Sports World Cup comes as a confirmation of its continuous efforts to achieve a better future for the sector, as a complement to the continuous achievements in entertainment and sports events, and the culmination of the great success achieved by the "gamer season" in its first and second versions, especially since the majority of the kingdom's population is from the younger generation who pay great attention to electronic games.
The tournament will provide a stimulating environment that supports the growth of the sector and enables its sustainability. The tournament will include the world's most popular games in various styles and provide the highest prize money in the history of esports. A new and innovative model of the Championship system will be followed in order to crown the best club in the world at the level of all participating games in the Championship, which in turn will serve in the development and sustainability of esports clubs.
The e-Sports World Cup Foundation will reveal more details related to the tournament and the mechanism of participation in it early next year.