Saudi Arabia will host Gamers8, the world’s biggest esports and gaming festival, with a prize pool of more than $30m this summer.
Gamers8: The Land of Heroes will begin its 2023 season in Riyadh on July 6 and promises double the amount of prize money offered last year.
Organisers of the Saudi gaming event say there will be esports competitions, live music from star names, shows, community gaming and education platforms.
Saudi gaming festival
Gamers8: The Land of Heroes follows last year’s Gamers8 at Boulevard Riyadh City.
Gamers8 2022 saw the world’s best gamers battle it out across five top titles, Rocket League, Dota 2 Riyadh Masters, Fortnite, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege and PUBG Mobile, for a prize pool of $15m.
Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, Chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation, said: “Gamers8: The Land of Heroes is going to be the destination this summer and we are delighted to once again be welcoming the elite of the esports world to Riyadh.
“The Land of Heroes is the place for world-class esports champions and gaming universe lovers. It is the ultimate occasion where you can compete for glory and become a hero walking among the worlds of your chosen story.
“Showcasing the most popular titles on the planet will be amplified even further this summer. To be frank, when we mean bigger and better this summer – we truly mean it. We cannot wait to reveal what we have in store for Gamers8: The Land of Heroes.”
Gamers8 in 2022 brought the virtual world of esports and gaming to Riyadh. Highlights included:
- 1.4 million visitors
- 132 million people watching the elite competitions
- 392 professional players
- 113 international professional teams – including Team Falcons, PSG.LGD, FURIA Esports, and FaZe Clan
- 61 nationalities represented
Eight nights of music at the NXT LVL Arena at Boulevard Riyadh City throughout the summer brought in a total of 74,670 ticketholders, for performances from 19 global artists, 10 Arab artists, and 17 local Saudi artists
Gamers8 concluded last summer with the Next World Forum, an esports and gaming forum in Riyadh that brought together sector leaders and experts from around the world, to host first-of-a-kind discussions shaping the future of the booming industry.
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