Last week, RTS, co-owner of Evo, the biggest fighting game tournament in the world, announced it had been acquired by the Saudi Arabian city of Qiddiya. While far from the sole event of note across the genre, Evo remains a symbol of sorts for the fighting game community. Of all the tournaments, it is Evo that is held in the highest regard. Now, that community must choose between its long-lasting values and the bag.
That bag, one doubtless filled with financial support fighting game’s best players and organisers dearly desire (if not in some cases, outright need), comes with a price of its own. The Saudi Arabian government has in recent years been engaging in a mass sportswashing campaign across the gaming industry, buying up developers and events in order to paint a shining picture of the country. A country that, under this current government, has a history of human rights abuses, is ranked fourth globally on the slavery index, which assassinated the journalist and critic of the Saudi government, Jamal Khashoggi, in 2018, and which still employs state executions as punishment for non-violent criminal acts – those executions surging in 2025.
If the new RTS owners are flanking the tournament from its right, its left is no bastion from government influence either. Sony had until late last month been a co-owner of Evo while also being a major partner of the Saudi Arabian Esports World Cup. Its share was acquired by Nodwin gaming, a notable Indian esports business that, for once, actually has decades of event experience behind it, rather than the usual efforts from newcomers to milk money out of passionate young gaming enthusiasts. Sadly, as of July this year, it’s now also working extensively with the Saudi Arabian government for the country’s Esports World Cup media rights in India.
How did we get here? The Saudi Arabian venture into the video game industry has gone largely uncontested, save for a few professional players and the Geoguessr community, of all things. The Saudi Arabian government could not have picked a better time to start paying for relatively cheap PR. Esports organisations, having failed to create a source of sustainable income, scared off investors a few years back. This, to put it succinctly, means that the majority of the competitive gaming space right now is hungry for cash, save for a few particular scenes.