RIYADH: Gamers8: The Land of Heroes, the biggest esports and gaming festival worldwide, will bring 16 top teams from around the world together to battle it out over five days of intense action for a $1 million prize fund in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) tournament.
The five-day multi-player tactical first-person shooter tournament, organized by Saudi Esports Federation and Valve Corporation, runs from Wednesday August 16 to Sunday August 20 at Boulevard Riyadh City. The tournament will give teams a last chance to compete in the hugely popular CS:GO title before the imminent launch of Counter-Strike 2 this year.
There will be stiff competition among the 16 participating teams from around the world. MIBR (Brazil) and Fnatic (UK) claimed their places by securing regional victories in the North American and European regional contests at Gamers Without Borders, the world’s largest charitable esports event, which is also organized by the Saudi Esports Federation.
The regional winners will be joined by Team Falcons (Saudi Arabia), Apeks and Heroic (Norway), Cloud9 and FaZe Clan (USA), G2 Esports and Gamer Legion (Germany), ENCE (Finland), FURIA Esports (Brazil), Team Liquid (Netherlands), Natus Vincere (Ukraine), Team Vitality (France), and Virtus.pro (Russia).
Faisal bin Homran, Chief Esports Officer at the Saudi Esports Federation, said: “The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament underlines the truly elite and global aspect of Gamers8: The Land of Heroes, and we look forward to welcoming 16 of the best teams in the world for the event.
“The tournament is further evidence of Saudi Arabia’s standing as a global gaming and esports hub. We are delighted that Gamers8 continues to go from strength to strength, attracting the most talented esports teams on the planet and reinforcing our country’s prominent position in the industry.”
Gamers8: The Land of Heroes recap
Gamers8: The Land of Heroes has a prize pool of $45 million – triple that of Gamers8 last year. The biggest gaming and esports festival worldwide features elite gaming titles alongside live concerts from top global, regional, and local artists, as well as numerous fun-filled activities and attractions for all the family.
The festival concludes with the Next World Forum, a gaming and esports forum held at the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Center on August 30-31, that brings together sector leaders and experts from around the world.