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Documents about World Cup
Rainbow Six Siege Joins the Esports World Cup
The Esports World Cup Foundation has officially confirmed that the tactical shooter Rainbow Six Siege will be a featured title at the inaugural Esports World Cup, scheduled for July 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- Ubisoft has officially confirmed that Rainbow Six Siege will be a featured title at the 2024 Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this July.
- The competition will feature a multi-million-dollar prize pool, building on the $2 million USD prize pool offered for the game at the 2023 Gamers8 event.
- The Esports World Cup is organized by the Esports World Cup Foundation and facilitated by the ESL FACEIT Group, a subsidiary of the Saudi Arabian government’s Public Investment Fund.
PGL Lays Out 2024-2026 Roadmap for Dota 2 Esports
PGL has announced a comprehensive multi-year roadmap for Dota 2 esports, committing to host a minimum of eight major tournaments between 2024 and 2026.
- PGL has committed to hosting at least eight major Dota 2 tournaments between 2024 and 2026, with each event featuring a $1 million USD prize pool.
- The tournament series kicks off with PGL Wallachia Season #1, scheduled for May 10–19, 2024, at PGL Studios in Bucharest, Romania.
- Each of the eight planned tournaments will feature a 16-team format determined through open and closed qualification rounds.
Savvy Games Group Leaders Make Goodwill Trip to China
Savvy Games Group, a gaming and esports entity backed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, recently conducted a high-level delegation visit to China to strengthen international commercial ties and advance the kingdom’s Vision 2030 gaming objectives.
- Savvy Games Group Vice Chairman HRH Prince Faisal and CEO Brian Ward visited China to strengthen commercial partnerships and promote Saudi Arabia as a global gaming and esports hub under the Vision 2030 roadmap.
- The delegation held meetings with government officials and industry stakeholders in Shanghai, Beijing, and Chengdu to strategize for the upcoming Esports World Cup in July.
- Savvy Games Group, which is backed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, invested $265 million into the Chinese tournament operator VSPO in 2023, becoming its largest international investor.
ESL FACEIT Group Reveals IEM Katowice 2024 Milestones
The ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) recently announced key performance milestones for the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice 2024, held in Poland from February 8 to 11.
- IEM Katowice 2024 achieved a peak viewership of 972,000 during the Counter-Strike 2 grand final between Team Spirit and FaZe Clan.
- The event recorded 24.6 million hours watched across 85 hours and 24 minutes of total airtime, with an average viewership of 288,000.
- Total attendance across the Spodek Arena and MCK Auditorium reached 65,000 visitors over the course of the tournament.
Inside the Esports World Cup Club Program
The Esports World Cup Foundation has introduced a financial incentive program designed to encourage global esports organizations to participate in its multi-week tournament series held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- The Esports World Cup Foundation has allocated up to $16.8 million for its 2024 Club Program, offering selected organizations up to $600,000 each based on performance milestones and multi-title participation.
- The program aims to incentivize organizations to field rosters in multiple esports titles, with additional, unverified reports suggesting one-time cash injections of $100,000 to $300,000 to help teams enter new competitive disciplines.
- Selection for the program involves a multi-stage process including an initial application, a shortlist, and a live pitch phase to determine the final six organizations.
Esports World Cup to Host StarCraft II Championship
The ESL FACEIT Group has confirmed that the 2024 ESL Pro Tour Championship for StarCraft II will be held as part of the inaugural Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- The 2024 ESL Pro Tour Championship for StarCraft II will be hosted at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this summer.
- The tournament will feature 18 of the world's top StarCraft II players competing over five days for a prize pool that has yet to be announced.
- Joona “Serral” Sotala and Clément “Clem” Desplanches have secured the first two spots in the event based on their victories at the ESL SC2 Masters Summer and Winter tournaments.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Coming to Esports World Cup
MOONTON Games has announced that its flagship title, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, will be featured at the inaugural Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- MOONTON Games will feature the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Mid Season Cup and the MLBB Women’s Invitational at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 1–14, 2024.
- The MLBB Mid Season Cup will feature teams from 14 international regions and over 35 countries competing for a total prize pool exceeding $3 million USD.
- The MLBB Women’s Invitational will feature an expanded prize pool of $500,000 and include participants from 12 regions and countries.
Riot Confirms Negotiations With Saudi’s Esports World Cup Foundation
Riot Games has confirmed that it is in active negotiations with the Esports World Cup Foundation regarding potential participation in the Saudi Arabian government-backed tournament series.
- Riot Games has confirmed it is in active negotiations with the Esports World Cup Foundation regarding potential participation in the Saudi-backed tournament series.
- No final agreements have been reached, and Riot is currently evaluating whether such third-party events can fit into its 2024 competitive calendar.
- Riot stated that it is exploring third-party partnerships to provide teams and players with additional revenue streams and competitive opportunities, citing the 2023 Asian Games as a successful model.
Guild Esports Partners With eNDX
London-based esports organization Guild Esports has entered into a commercial partnership with the UK-based fantasy trading platform eNDX.
- Guild Esports has entered a partnership with the UK-based fantasy trading platform eNDX, with the deal estimated to be worth in the 'six figures' based on projected user acquisition and trading volume.
- Under the agreement, Guild Esports will receive a percentage of revenue generated from the trading of its Counter-Strike 2 players and teams on the eNDX platform.
- The partnership includes both the 'Guild Eagles' roster and the organization's all-female Counter-Strike team, whose virtual 'shares' will be made available for users to buy, sell, and collect.
Guild Esports Reveals Counter-Strike 2 Roster to Compete in Esports World Cup
London-based, publicly traded organization Guild Esports has announced the formation of a dedicated Counter-Strike 2 roster, branded as the Guild Eagles, to compete in the 2024 Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- London-based Guild Esports has formed a new Counter-Strike 2 roster, the 'Guild Eagles,' specifically to compete in the 2024 Esports World Cup in Riyadh.
- The roster consists of former Bad News Eagles players Genc 'gxx-' Kolgeci, Flatron 'juanflatroo' Halimi, Sener 'SENER1' Mahuti, Dionis 'sinnopsyy' Budeci, and Rigon 'rigoN' Gashi.
- The coaching staff includes Kevin 'Krystal' Amend, Keiran 'KayJay' Playfair, and Jonatan 'Devilwalk' Lundberg, with James Banks serving as a consultant.
Global Esports Federation, International Esports Federation Promise Future Cooperation
The Global Esports Federation and the International Esports Federation have signed a formal letter of intent to pursue future cooperation and collaborative initiatives.
- The Global Esports Federation (GEF) and the International Esports Federation (IESF) have signed a Letter of Intent to explore future collaborative initiatives.
- HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud has been elected as the permanent president of the IESF, following his tenure as acting president.
- Prince Faisal currently holds leadership roles in both the GEF and IESF, as well as the Saudi Esports Federation and the Arab Esports Federation.
NEOM Partnership With McLaren Racing Expands to Esports Division
McLaren Racing has expanded its existing partnership with NEOM, a Saudi Arabian city project backed by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), to include its official esports division, McLaren Shadow.
- McLaren Racing has expanded its partnership with the Saudi government-backed NEOM project to include its official esports division, McLaren Shadow.
- NEOM has been named the official principal partner of the McLaren Shadow F1 esports team.
- The collaboration will focus on developing talent pathways for Saudi Arabian sim racers, including training opportunities at the McLaren Shadow Academy in Surrey.