Through the partnership, we will engage our worldwide fanbase of 225 million gamers, inviting them to share their vision and help shape the future global Gaming & Esports District in Qiddiya City.
We will lean on creative technology to develop immersive experiences, in-game missions, and stage takeovers during its circuit of global events to inspire fans, players, and partners to help define the future of play at the Qiddiya City Gaming & Esports District.
Gamers and fans will have exclusive access to new developments in the District during DreamHack festivals, ESL and IEM competitions, and on EFG’s digital esports platform, FACEIT. This includes both top-tier and amateur circuits across ESL Counter-Strike Pro Tour, ESL Challenger, ESL Impact, ESL Dota 2 Pro Tour, DreamHack festivals, and more over the 5-year partnership.
The partnership is part of EFG and Qiddiya’s joint commitment to support the sustainable growth of the esports industry through building pipelines of multigenerational fandom in the world’s most promising markets, notably the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.
Abdullah Aldawood, Managing Director of Qiddiya Investment Company, said: “As a global Capital of Play, Qiddiya City will host a critical component of Saudi Arabia’s National Gaming and Esports Strategy, and help power the next generation of esports. Our partnership with ESL FACEIT Group ensures that players, fans, and creators worldwide will play a central role in building this unprecedented hub of entertainment and innovation. We will be setting a new benchmark for fan experiences in parallel with athlete and talent development.”
Craig Levine, Co-CEO of ESL FACEIT Group, said: “Qiddiya is a city built for and inspired by the global esports and gaming community in one of the industry’s fastest-growing markets. As a pioneering global destination for gaming and esports, Qiddiya City will grow and develop in collaboration with the community, an important cornerstone for a more sustainable future. We’re confident and honored that EFG’s decades of experience will create value for the city’s scalable, fan-first vision.”
Qiddiya City’s Gaming & Esports District will be the world’s first mix-use gaming and esports district — an unrivaled investment in building a gaming utopia. Not only will the district become an epicenter for esports fandom and the development of professional gamers, but it will also serve as regional headquarters for leading video game companies and esports organizations.
Built to reflect the interests and ideals of gamers, the Qiddiya Gaming & Esports District will cover 500,000 square meters of gaming space, housing cutting-edge esports facilities that introduce new ways to watch, train and play. With EFG’s active consultation, these facilities will provide the lowest latency technology infrastructure in the world, ideal for supporting the previously-announced Esports Bootcamp pre-competition training centers, as well as sports science performance labs and high-end tech incubators to spur gaming innovation.
Together, Qiddiya City and EFG affirm their joint commitment to supporting the esports industry’s sustainable growth by building multigenerational fandom pipelines in the world’s most promising markets, notably the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.
Franck Guignery, SVP Middle East and Africa of ESL FACEIT Group, said: “The growth of gaming in the Kingdom has transformed its young and progressive esports scene into a powerhouse that will fuel the global community. This partnership brings us parity that pushes the landscape forward through compelling narratives and must-watch global events. Together with Qiddiya, we’re inviting the community to own and shape the future home of esports and gaming and create a positive impact in the industry.”
We kick off our partership this week at IEM Chengdu! To learn more about Qiddiya City, visit qiddiya.com. For more information on ESL FACEIT Group, check out eslfaceitgroup.com and follow EFG on LinkedIn.
Taking place April 12-14, players from around the world will compete for their share of up to $400,000 USD in two of the most popular mobile game titles: Call of Duty: Mobile and Garena Free Fire! ]]>
Below, you will find a breakdown of all DOTA 2 events and a changelog that gives an overview of Season 2 of the EPT compared to the 2023 EPT calendar.
]]>Over 20 years ago, when esports was still in its infancy and we were a tournament organizer active in only a handful of countries, we believed that we could grow successful ecosystems with a core of national-based competition which led to us creating the ESL National Championship program.
While esports has matured over the years, we’ve seen it develop in a different direction as it has grown to become a borderless sport where teams often gravitate towards players of all nationalities.
For years we have been cultivating two parallel ecosystems for CS: the nation-based one similar to traditional sports leagues and the borderless system based on pan-regional online tournaments.
It ultimately took a toll on our ability to focus and created a number of compatibility issues across different ESL Pro Tour properties. Over time, it became increasingly apparent that the borderless system is a much more dynamic and flexible foundation for the EPT and a better pathway for aspiring teams and players to climb up the ladder.
Therefore with the launch of Counter-Strike 2, we will be closing our ESL National Championship program. Benelux, France, Spain, and Turkey will not operate their final season this year, while Australia & New Zealand, Brazil, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom & Ireland will play a final season in 2023 before stopping in 2024.
There is still room for regional and national competitions, but it will not be an active focus of ours. We are open to engaging with third-party tournaments in order to cater to players and teams that were used to and want to continue competing in national leagues.
Furthermore, Polish and German teams will continue to have the opportunity to represent their countries at the IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne Championships, respectively.
We have already begun reaching out to affected teams to guide them toward alternative opportunities, but if you haven’t been reached out to yet, please contact us at [email protected].
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