League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics Join the Esports World Cup

Riot Games announced Saturday that Teamfight Tactics and League of Legends Esports teams will be allowed to participate at the Esports World Cup this summer in Riyadh Saudi Arabia—the multi-week gaming and esports festival being run by the Saudi Arabian government.

In a statement issued to TEA by a Riot representative, the company laid out its reasoning for the decision, noting that this is part of its overall plan to advance esports in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region.

First, the company said that these competitions are not “official events” and that Riot will not be involved in their production—meaning that format, selection of teams, and size and scope of the prize pool will likely be determined by the Esports World Cup Foundation and ESL FACEIT Group, who are putting the overall event together. The company also noted that it has facilitated these competitions by making space for them in its competitive calendars for 2024:

“The EWC is not an official LoL Esports event, Riot will not be involved in the production, and Riot will not select the teams that compete. That said, we know that seeing League and TFT included in an international esports event in Saudi Arabia could raise some questions. Our goal in this region, and all regions, is to make deliberate choices that result in a better experience for players around the world.

“The decision to make room in our LoL Esports competitive calendar for the EWC comes after a lot of consideration about our duty to thoughtfully explore marketing and commercial opportunities for esports teams and players, as well as the impact this event can have on players in MENA.“

On Jan. 3, Riot confirmed with The Esports Advocate that it was in fact considering allowing some of its games to be a part of the Esports World Cup and other third-party events, but no decision one way or the other had been made at the time. Subsequent reporting suggested that there was also some internal discussion among LGTBQA+ staff at the company who pushed back on the idea, given the Saudi Arabian government’s stance on women’s rights, and its laws that punish people for their sexuality, as chronicled in reports by multiple human rights watchdog groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Riot also noted that this decision was made following internal conversations with staff, players in the region, and the employees who live in work in the Middle East:

“At the Esports World Cup, TFT and League join 20+ of the other largest games on the planet to create a new gaming experience for players around the world. These cross-game, cross-genre esports events are unique moments for fans of all types of games to come together. In particular, we’ve heard from players in MENA, as well as Rioters who live and work there, about how meaningful it is to have the opportunity to see their favorite teams from across the world compete live at a major tournament in their region. We believe that supporting these types of experiences is an important part of delivering on our mission to make it better to be a player.”

Riot said that this decision also took into consideration the financial struggles that many esports organizations around the world are currently experiencing, and noted that it did not want to take away opportunities from teams in its esports ecosystems:

“We also recognize that many organizations and players in esports face economic challenges right now. With this in mind, we didn’t want to deny esports teams and players the option to participate in a major economic and brand-building opportunity. The EWC offers not only the chance to compete on an international stage but also the ability to earn a piece of a meaningful prize pool, which helps enhance financial stability. As we look toward the future of esports competition, we see international third-party events playing a bigger role, much like they did in the early days of League. The community has been asking for more international play, and this event is part of a broader strategy to allow for additional high-impact tournaments to the esports calendar.”

Finally, the company will evaluate the impact of the Esports World Cup, its reception by fans around the world, and the general benefits of third-party operated events as part of the overall esports ecosystems for its games:

“In 2023, events like the Asian Games and Red Bull League of Its Own were significant moments for teams, players, and fans. We’ll use this initial first-year EWC exploration to evaluate the overall tournament experience, assess the benefits to pro teams, and better understand the value of EWC to players worldwide.”

Beyond Riot allowing TFT and League of Legends to have a presence at the Esports World Cup, the company said that it has big expansion plans for its games in MENA with plans to fulfill the promise it made in 2019 to localize League of Legends in Arabic for players in the region and to launch local servers based in the Middle East. Those things are described as “coming soon.”

“We want to thank all the players in MENA who have patiently waited for us to bring a better, more localized League experience to their region. We also want to acknowledge that not everyone will choose to watch the Esports World Cup – and we understand and respect that choice – but we believe the impact this event can have for esports teams, pro players, and players across MENA makes our participation the right call.”

So what are some of the concerns related to women’s and LGBTQA+ rights in the Kingdom? A 2023 report from Human Rights Watch on Saudi Arabia offers some guidance on these and other issues, as well as a recent report from Amnesty International on “a leaked draft of Saudi Arabia’s first written penal code.” 

Amnesty International also pushed back last week on news that Saudi Arabia will chair the UN Commission on the Status of Women, noting that the new penal code could have “further catastrophic consequences for women in the country” and that Saudi Arabia’s appointment to this UN leadership role is misguided and inappropriate. From Amnesty International Deputy Director for Advocacy, Sherine Tadros:

“The Commission on the Status of Women has a clear mandate to promote women’s rights and gender equality and it is vital for the chair of the commission to uphold this. Saudi Arabia’s abysmal record when it comes to protecting and promoting the rights of women puts a spotlight on the vast gulf between the lived reality for women and girls in Saudi Arabia, and the aspirations of the Commission. 

“The UN Charter clearly states respect for human rights as a primary purpose of the UN. Membership of its human rights bodies means an added responsibility to strengthen this respect, globally and domestically. This is compounded for leadership roles in these bodies.”

Despite these concerns, Riot’s games join a growing list of titles taking part in the Esports World Cup including TEKKEN 8, Street Fighter 6, EA Sports FC 24, Rocket League, Fortnite, Free Fire, PUBG, PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Brawl Stars, StarCraft II, Overwatch 2, Counter-Strike 2, Honor of Kings, and Dota 2, among others.

In case you haven’t been paying attention, the Esports World Cup is a multi-week gaming festival and esports competition funded by the Saudi Arabian government-run sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Esports World Cup competitions are being facilitated by ESL FACEIT Group (in conjunction with the Saudi Esports Federation), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Savvy Games Group. Savvy is also owned by the Saudi government. EFG serves as the home to tournament organizer ESL, tournament platform FACEIT, and esports and gaming festival company DreamHack.