British Esports in Pact With BLAST

BLAST and British Esports in pact to promote the UK at home and abroad

UK-based esports federation British Esports and UK tournament organizer BLAST have signed a strategic partnership on Thursday, with a focus on “political lobbying, grassroots development, education, careers, and professional development,” in the region, according to a press release.

The partnership comes as BLAST brings two tier-1 esports competitions to London: the BLAST Premier Spring Final taking place in Wembley Arena this week, and the RLCS London Major in Copper Box Arena set to take place next week. BLAST and British Esports claim that these combined events will “see more than 25,000 fans watch live esports events in person in the United Kingdom” during the month of June.

British Esports has been looking for new ways to bring investment and support into the region, with a specific focus on cooperation with entities in Saudi Arabia including the Saudi Esports Federation (SEF).

The federation announced a partnership with the SEF in October 2023, with the aim of fostering connections and exploring opportunities in the Saudi Arabian esports landscape. That agreement was signed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with UK Ambassador Neil Crompton, SEF Chairman HRH Prince Faisal Bin Bandar bin Sultan, and British Esports President Chester King in attendance.

Under the terms of that partnership, both organizations agreed to work together to develop esports talent development via cultural exchange programs, internships, mentorship, boot camps, esports training programs, educational initiatives, and research projects. Both groups also agreed to bring esports athletes to the National Esports Performance Campus in Sunderland and to the multi-week Sports World Cup in Riyadh starting next month.

The partnership between BLAST is part of an overarching plan to promote the UK as a destination for esports and gaming. King is a strong proponent of supporting the esports and gaming industry at home and abroad; in May he traveled to Riyadh to give a presentation about esports at GREAT FUTURES, an event promoting cooperation between the UK business sector and the Saudi Arabian government—these initiatives are also supported by Saudi Arabian government and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade (DIT).

BLAST operates tournaments for Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2, and also has the exclusive rights to handle global Rocket League and Fortnite competitions through a partnership with Epic Games.