Saudi Arabia is hosting the world’s biggest e-sports and gaming event in Riyadh, from July to September. Photo: Twitter@Saudi_Esports
Saudi Arabia is hosting the world’s biggest e-sports and gaming event in Riyadh, from July to September. Photo: Twitter@Saudi_Esports
Saudi Arabia is hosting the world’s biggest e-sports and gaming event in Riyadh, from July to September. Photo: Twitter@Saudi_Esports
Saudi Arabia is hosting the world’s biggest e-sports and gaming event in Riyadh, from July to September. Photo: Twitter@Saudi_Esports

World's biggest gaming event attracts elite and new fans in Riyadh


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Gamers from around the world are descending on Saudi Arabia's capital for the world's largest esports event.

Gamers8, hosted by the Saudi Esports Federation (SEF) at a venue in the entertainment district Boulevard of Riyadh, will feature a range of events and concerts every weekend for 60 days, with a prize fund of up to $15 million.

"Gamers8 is the best way to bring gamers together and shows how massive and strong the gaming community is in Saudi Arabia," Saad Hakim, a visitor to the event, told The National. "This is a chance for the world to see that."

There are almost 23.5 million gamers across the country, "almost every home in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has someone with a deep passion for gaming”, said Prince Faisal bin Bandar, SEF president.

Some of the biggest games will feature in tournaments being held throughout the festival, including Fortnite, Dota 2, Rocket League, PUBG, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, among others.

Saudi Arabia is a natural choice for an event of this magnitude, organisers say, as the kingdom is in the top five for numbers of consumers around the world for e-sports and games.

What to expect at Gamers8

It isn't only tournaments. The event space will also host about 1,000 different gamer-themed activities and attractions at Boulevard Riyadh City in an effort to attract more fans to the sports.

Concerts will also be held, featuring some of the biggest international and regional artists including Lil Pump, Balquees, Russ, DJ Snake, Nancy Ajram, Hamaki, Disco Misr, Alan Walker and DJ Axwell.

“The goal of Gamers8 is to bring the virtual world of esports gaming out into the physical realm of Riyadh while merging a plethora of entertainment such as music, festivals, shows, and the latest experiences for children," said SEF chief Ahmed Al Bishri.

"We are delighted to be bringing some of the biggest names in music to Riyadh this summer and know they will significantly contribute to a season of incredible moments and memories.

“This summer’s showpiece is going to be a special occasion and we are delighted to welcome the elite to Gamers8," said Prince Faisal. "The goal of Gamers8 is to bring the virtual world of esports and gaming out into the physical realm of Riyadh. With that in mind, the capital city of our country renowned for its enthusiasm and huge fervour for gaming is the ideal setting for Gamers8."

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Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

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Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650

Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder

Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm

Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km

If you go

The flights

There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.

The trip

Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.

The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.

 

The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Company%C2%A0profile
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The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

Director: Laxman Utekar

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Rating: 1/5

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7pm Gates open

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9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street

10pm City players on stage

11pm event ends

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Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

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Abu Dhabi GP schedule

Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm

Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm

Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm

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Engine: 5.2-litre V10

Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm

Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm

Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto

Price: From Dh1 million

On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022 

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Director: Sriram Raghavan

Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan

Rating: 3.5/5

Company profile

Date started: Founded in May 2017 and operational since April 2018

Founders: co-founder and chief executive, Doaa Aref; Dr Rasha Rady, co-founder and chief operating officer.

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: Health-tech

Size: 22 employees

Funding: Seed funding 

Investors: Flat6labs, 500 Falcons, three angel investors

Updated: July 25, 2022, 9:29 AM