- A record $45 million in prize money was on offer as the world’s best esports athletes battled it out across 10 different tournaments
- Twisted Minds took home the first-ever Gamers8 Club Awards as the best-performing organization overall
- Global music superstars Imagine Dragons and Alan Walker joined the biggest local artists for a series of epic concerts
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Gamers8, the world’s largest gaming and esports festival, wrapped up its second edition on Sunday with the final awards ceremony seeing Team Twisted Minds secure first place in Gamers8 Club Awards, bringing the curtain down on a thrilling season that began in July and went through August. Featuring a record-breaking prize pool of $45 million, thousands of visitors attended the festival in person and tuned in online to watch 16 elite esports tournaments from 13 top titles.
The festival transformed Boulevard Riyadh City into a gaming and entertainment paradise with epic venues, concerts, and activities and welcomed the best of the best across titles such as Dota 2, Rocket League, and FIFAe to do battle in front of fans lucky enough to be in attendance and streamed live across the globe. In the Dota 2 Riyadh Masters, Team Spirit defeated Team Liquid in the grand final to win first place and $5 million from the total $15 million prize pool. And in the Rocket League finals, Version 1 defeated Rule One in the grand final to take home $500k in prize money.
The Club Awards were presented as part of the Next World Forum’s second edition, a forum gathering top minds in the gaming, entertainment, and esports industry, including Team Falcons founder Msdossary, Hollywood director Michael Bay, football legend Gareth Bale, ESL FACEIT Group Chairman Ralf Reichert, VSPO co-founder Danni Tang, and Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin. Team Vitality, Gaimin Gladiators, Team BDS, and overall winners Twisted Minds completed the top teams who earned the most points over several titles at Gamers8 and, therefore, took home a share of the $5 million prize pool. Rocket League caster Stax presented Twisted Minds with the trophy following an epic introduction featuring a performer on a robotic arm and a highlight package recapping each team’s journey to the Gamers8 Club Awards.
Highlighting that its appeal didn’t just extend to gaming, the festival also featured several musical performances, including concerts by Imagine Dragons, Alan Walker, and Metro Boomin, with the series of musical performances being concluded by an all-female lineup that included Iggy Azalea and DJ Soda, who entertained attendees throughout the event.
For more information on Gamers8, visit the official website and follow on Twitter.
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About Gamers8 – The Land Of Heroes:
Gamers8 is the world’s largest gaming and esports festival and the destination for elite esports champions and gaming universe lovers. It’s the ultimate place to compete for glory and become a hero walking among the worlds of your chosen story. Located in Riyadh at the heart of Saudi Arabia, Gamers8 spans a period of eight weeks from July to September 2023, with new challenges and experiences unlocked every week. You can watch the world’s top esports teams compete for the highest prize pools, attend performances by global music artists, experience your favorite gaming platforms come to life, and learn the mysteries behind the creation of video games. Gamers8 is your world, and it’s your adventure to choose.
Gamers8: The Land of Heroes follows the success of last year’s Gamers8 at Boulevard Riyadh City. Gamers8 2022 saw the world’s best teams and players battle it out across five top titles – Rocket League, Dota 2 Riyadh Masters, Fortnite, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, and PUBG Mobile – for a prize pool of $15 million. The 2022 festival was visited by more than 1.4 million visitors and watched by more than 132 million people around the globe. A total of 391 professional players – representing more than 61 nationalities – and 113 international teams took part in world-class esports competitions. Gamers8: The Land of Heroes has a total prize pool of over $45 million – triple last year’s grand prize total – and will host the elite of esports in a state-of-the-art, purpose-built venue at Boulevard Riyadh City. The festival will conclude with a gaming and esports forum, known as the ‘Next World Forum’, that brings together sector leaders and experts from around the world.
About SEF:
The Saudi Esports Federation is the regulating body in charge of nurturing elite gaming athletes and developing the gaming community and industry in Saudi Arabia.
The Federation’s activities are categorized into two complementary streams. The first stream works to develop all levels of competitive gamers, starting with the grassroots community level and moving up to professional esports athletes that can achieve global excellence. The second stream works to develop the entire gaming/esports value chain by catalyzing the industry and enabling talent.
Since its establishment in late 2017, the federation has organized multiple world-class national and international tournaments and events, attracted investment from local private sector actors, and worked with international developers on opportunities in the Saudi market.
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