Alright, pack it up boys: Evo is no longer cool as Saudi Arabia takes over

Remember that seemingly dull press release from a few weeks ago that said Sony Interactive Entertainment is selling its stake in Evo? Well, that just became a total nightmare. Saudi Arabia has now set its sights on the fighting game community as it continues to kill the spirit of esports, this time taking over the largest FGC event in the world.

Saudi Arabian company Qiddiya has now fully acquired Evo’s operator, RTS, an esports talent management consultancy that was founded back in 2022. The horrific update was revealed on the most soulless of all social platforms, LinkedIn.

Threatened Qiddiya Chief Strategy Officer Muhannad Aldawood: “Excited to share that Qiddiya has acquired full ownership of RTS, a strategic step that will further strengthen our esports business and unlock new opportunities acrsos the broader gaming ecosystem.

“This milestone paves the way for setting new heights in the evolution of Evo toward achieving the aspirations of the fighting game community.”

Esports Is Doomed

Qiddiya, owned by the Public Investment Fund, is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative, which includes many esports projects like the Esports World Cup.

Saudi Arabia’s chokehold on the esports industry has been rapid the past few years. The Esports World Cup, which notoriously pays millions for struggling esports organizations to take part and also pays fans to attend, has continued to make strong proclamations about it being the big and best event in esports – but this is by prize money alone. The Esports World Cup did not have the same aura and spirit of the esports industry, with an obsession on making competitive gaming mainstream rather than focusing on the passion and grit of the individual scenes. This has now been followed by the Esports Nations Cup, another event that bribes esports organizations to take part.

With Saudi Arabia now buying Evo, it feels like the country’s control is leaking out even further than its own over-the-top events and is now infiltrating existing events. It seems like a sign of what’s to come: Saudi Arabia purchasing more and more tournaments from struggling tournament organizers, eventually owning almost every aspect of the industry.

This is not an exaggeration because it wouldn’t be hard to do. While Yahoo Finance and random Facebook chuds love to claim esports is a billion-dollar industry, the truth is that many esports organizations, tournament organizers, and players are broke. Companies are in the red, with sponsors and prize money being the only things keeping them afloat. It’s a struggling niche that tried to become too big instead of focusing on its core fans and it’s now bleeding.

Saudi Arabia has swooped in, like a man spotting a woman crying at the back of a bar after finding out her boyfriend cheated on her. This is predatory behavior, dangling millions in front of companies that need it to survive. Esports organizations had to embarrassingly announce the Esports World Cup’s Superfan program earlier this year, basically under the complete control of the country if they want to survive another year. They are fine appearing cringe and having no soul if the money keeps rolling in.

This may sound like a victory for esports – finally, some money. However, it’s similar to a band selling out or a cult classic being remade in theaters. There may be money, but will the fans be interested when everything is just owned by Saudi Arabia and there’s a continued desperation to make esports mainstream? The magic of esports would be gone. What makes it special would be destroyed. It just wouldn’t feel the same.

Evo, which was once made by fighting game fans for fighting game fans, is now another way for Saudi Arabia to sink its influence into every corner of the esports industry. You know what? I hope Smash doesn’t come back after all.