Saudi Arabia to host Esports World Cup with biggest prize pool ever, says gamer Prince MBS

Saudi Arabia said on Monday that it would host the Esports World Cup beginning next year, in the latest push for a sector Riyadh thinks would generate tens of thousands of local employment.

"The Esports World Cup is the natural next step in Saudi Arabia's journey to become the premier global hub for gaming and esports," the Gulf kingdom's de facto ruler, Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), said in a statement.

Prince Mohammed is said to be an avid gamer partial to Call of Duty, and Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in the sector since the 38-year-old became first in line to the throne six years ago.

Last year, the crown prince announced a $38 billion investment strategy for the kingdom's Savvy Games Group, owned by the deep-pocketed sovereign wealth fund.

The goal is to create 39,000 esports-related jobs by 2030.

Officials also want to make Saudi Arabia "an Eden for game developers" that can produce new titles "promoting Saudi and Arabic culture", according to the national esports strategy, targeting 30 globally competitive games produced in domestic studios by 2030.

The first edition of the Esports World Cup is expected next summer, taking the place of the eight-week Gamers8 festival of Esports World Cup tournaments which this year featured a prize pool totalling $45 million.

Tourism falls off considerably during the summer in Saudi Arabia when temperatures in the capital Riyadh clear 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on a daily basis.

But the Esports World Cup World Cup "will be complemented with a diversified set of activities and events that will draw visitors and tourists to the capital, transforming it into a gaming capital", Monday's statement said.

Officials have not specified which games will be included in the Esports World Cup World Cup, saying only that details will be made public early next year.

"The tournament will include the most popular games in the world across all genres and have the largest prize pool in esports history," the statement said.