It’s been a great year for fighting game events. Not only did Evo 2024, the world’s largest fighting game tournament, come to an end after breaking records, but we also saw growth in the genre as well as globally. It feels like there’s more focus than ever on historically niche gaming styles, and the high-level gaming culture that surrounds it.
However, while much of this growth and success is harvested and sown through grassroots tournaments and community initiatives, the Esports World Cup continues throughout the year. The event is entirely funded by the Saudi Arabian government and seems to bring in huge amounts of cash for any competitive gaming sector. These include Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6, and these tournaments attract many of the world’s best players and have prize pools that exceed many other established events.
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The measure is seen by many critics and concerned groups as a sports reshuffle, an attempt to use sports (and yes, esports) to enhance the country’s reputation. This is not the first time Saudi Arabia, a country with a poor human rights record and reprehensible treatment of the LGBTQIA+ community, has invested in such ventures. Previously, the company has made large investments in F1, football, golf, and even wrestling.
For years, the fighting game community has hosted open tournaments around the world, doing its best to welcome people of all backgrounds. It’s a cultural cornerstone, born out of arcade culture, where anyone could walk up and toss a coin. This is also a message that I believe to be true. Having attended fighting game events large and small, you can see evidence of this inclusive culture in the sheer diversity of race, sexual orientation, and gender among the attendees, from Tekken tournaments at local bars, to Party conference center packed with people.
But there is a conflict here, where the community and its culture seem to be clashing with the business side of hosting a large event. This isn’t just a matter of players getting on a plane to Saudi Arabia. Ads for Evo Japan, CEO and more Esports World Cup can be seen everywhere during this year’s major events. Sony (one of the co-owners of Evo) is a strategic partner of the Esports World Cup. Is it any surprise that the eSports World Cup and Qiddiya (a Saudi Arabian city aiming to become the region’s main tech and entertainment hub) have a major presence at Evo this year?
The path towards an increasing number of official Evo events around the world has been set, with Evo announcing international Evo events in Nice, France and Singapore. However, the leap to hosting an Evo event in Qiddiya has not happened, at least not yet. So, what’s going on? To find out, I sat down with Evo General Manager Rick “The Hadou” Thiher. During our conversation, I asked him about the Evo’s potential presence in Saudi Arabia, his concerns about the sports reshuffle, and the culture clash between the Saudi Arabian government and the wider FGC.
(Want to know more about Evo’s global push? You can read our other interview with Rick Thiher about the event’s world warrior ambitions).
VG247: Considering the current ecosystem surrounding competitive gaming (and not just fighting games), Saudi Arabia currently spends a lot of money and a lot of time participating in different video gaming activities. The same goes for fighting game events! Are there discussions about a bigger role for the Evo in Saudi Arabia?
Thier: So while we work on hosting global events, we are respectfully having conversations with potential partners around the world. We need to thoughtfully explore all opportunities to achieve this goal. But since this announcement, our focus has been on our announced locations. There are currently no plans to expand the roadmap beyond this. I don’t know if we have the bandwidth or the team size to do that. That’s what we’re doing and we hope to start with this show.
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VG247: One of the main sponsors/partners of Evo this year is Qiddiya Esports, and there are Esports World Cup ads in several games at the show. How much of a role do you expect the Saudi Arabian government’s esports initiative to play in Evo’s future?
Thier: I think Evo is open to partners that can enrich the event experience. The scale of events in Tokyo and Las Vegas is made possible by Qiddiya and other partners. Qiddiya features fan-centric experiences such as meet-and-greets, exhibitions and watch parties in the Legends Lounge. Given the level of fan engagement they’ve said they want to increase, and the level of engagement at these booths at both shows this year, I expect this is how they will continue to invest in the community. As we talk about the future, Evo’s focus remains on creating valuable experiences for FGC. Because our brand should create and sustain a fighting game fan base. So it’s always my fervent hope that any new members of the FGC will be inspired to come here, get involved, and take advantage of these opportunities. This is how Qiddiya has performed at Evo so far this year, and what I expect from them in the future.
VG247: The Saudi Arabian government’s current intentions with regard to esports are a somewhat controversial point of view. It is widely believed among many that this is part of a sports cleansing program, like we see in golf, F1, football, and even wrestling! Do you have any concerns about this, and the wider FGC’s involvement? I know that in your previous work at Combo Breaker, you’ve created a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community who are currently expressing concerns about this.
Thier: I believe that when making major investments, you have to want to understand and appreciate the history, community and culture of the project you are investing in. The FGC is bigger than any brand, event or individual within it, but we are all brought together by the simple fact that the ethos of competitive fighting games is anyone For decades, Evo has proudly showcased this fact’s diversity. I believe in this simple truth. So, I think that’s something that I have hope and faith in, that fighting games have proven through the fact that it’s a way for different worlds to find a way to connect and understand each other, and to approach it from that perspective.
VG247: So you hope that through engagement, the cultural differences between the Western FGC and Saudi Arabia will take a back seat to the FGC’s own culture and priorities?
Thier: I think if you want to be part of the culture, you need to be part of the culture. I think this potential for change is embedded in culture, in the relationships that become its inspiration and backbone. That’s why people come here.
VG247: Do you have any thoughts on the impact that has occurred? We’ve seen some pro players, big names like SonicFox, who won the Mortal Kombat Championship at Evo, say in interviews with the media that they’ve never felt so humiliated because they’re still largely free agents because of their Sexual orientation. In this ecosystem, they feel like they can’t take advantage of these career opportunities because of the eSports World Cup. So, to be sure, everyone is likely to be welcome at Evo – but it seems this growing presence may be hard-armed against opposing views.
Thier: I think any time you’re exploring global capabilities, you’re going to be in an environment where things don’t always align right away, or don’t always align right out of the gate. So when we talk again about my belief that complex change is rooted in existence, I’m seeing more conversations now than I’ve ever seen in my life. Not only are people engaging in these conversations in large social settings, but they are actually having one-on-one conversations. You end up having those one-on-one conversations, which in turn leads to the relationships that I hope get us to a point where everyone can engage in the way that I think fighting games should engage. As someone who works in this space, I believe this needs to be a long-term result of the culture, because I want everyone, anywhere in the world to be excited to play fighting games, and that can resonate with everyone through playing fighting games, and I also believe A simple truth.
VG247: One last question on this topic – you mentioned that the size and scale of Evo this year and Evo Japan would not have been possible without partners like Qiddiya and Saudi Arabia. The country is investing heavily as part of its Vision 2030 programme. This financial expansion into other markets – eSports is part of it! But the money is limited, and if their goal is to expand into a profitable business, support for events like Evo could last five years, or a year, who knows! Would you view them as a stable partner, like you would with Chipotle or one of the larger corporate partners that we’ve seen in recent years?
Thier: I think currently FGC is lucky to have seen several stable partners and community invested partners over the years, such as Sony, Red Bull and most recently Chipotle. This is still a new partnership, but today is every sign that Qiddiya wants to engage our community in the same way. They’re showing up in Tokyo, they’re showing up in Las Vegas, so I expect we can continue to be involved with the show in that way.
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Thiel’s hopes are almost certainly shared by many who find themselves in the awkward position of being trapped between years of established culture and commerce. At least now, FGC community members have enough seclusion to maintain their values and someone willing to stay true to them. The ultimate goal of the Saudi Arabian government’s investment is clear, at least to me. If Chipotle sells burritos and Vitrix sells arcade sticks, Qiddiya Esports and the Esports World Cup are trying to sell the country to people. They want people to go there and watch esports events.
While it might be easy to talk about the importance of LGBTQIA+ representation and staying true to the values of America’s heartland at Evo, doing the same thing inside Saudi Arabia is undoubtedly much more difficult. Whether it’s time to cross a bridge or take a stand now is in the hands of fighting game players.
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