On October 23rd, former chairman of the ESL FACEIT Group and long-time esports veteran Ralf Reichert announced he was leaving his role to become the CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. The Esports World Cup was announced by the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This looks to be one of the components in the country’s Vision 2030 to help diversify the economy and boost tourism.
Although a huge move, seeing that the country’s investments have generated over a billion dollars in the scene (including Savvy Games acquisition, merging FACEIT and ESL Gaming, and launching a $45 million esports festival), there were concerns about their involvement as they have issues with women rights, dissent and rights surrounding LGBTQ+.
Photo credit: AList
The new CEO of the newly formed Saudi-governed non-profit Esports World Cup Foundation Ralf Reichert addressed these concerns from the esports community by ensuring that the country is showing progress and development in their society, changing with the times and embracing the next generation. With Saudi Arabia as an esports destination, it is showing that they welcome everybody as it has become one of the travel hotspots for publishers, teams, players and tournament organizers.
The Esports World Cup looks to become one of the biggest names in esports tournaments in the world, in terms of the titles and pool prizes. It replaced Gamers8 to become the country’s most ambitious project. While only minor details have been revealed about the Esports World Cup, the country’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman being a part of the unveiling in front of some of the world’s biggest esports stakeholders shows the scale of the project.
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Written By Jeffrey Osei-Agyeman
