The Esports World Cup Foundation has launched the “Music of EWC,” a new initiative to create what the organization calls an “original musical identity for the Esports World Cup 2025.” The Esports World Cup is a multi-title, seven week esports competition and festival taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7 – Aug. 24.
The new multi-stage program officially kicked off on Sunday as the organization worked with Abbey Road Studios to record four tracks composed by 2WEI and Hollywood Scoring.
In addition, the Esports World Cup Foundation is inviting the global music community to help it create additional tracks through an open competition on the cloud-based music creation platform Audiotool. Through the contest, two tracks will be selected by a panel of industry judges and added to the EWC music identity, which will be played along with other recorded tracks during tournament broadcasts, at on-site events, and on various social media and content creation platforms.
“At its core, the Esports World Cup is about community – a global platform that connects people and elevates talent in all forms,” said Mike McCabe, COO, Esports World Cup Foundation. “Music of EWC is a natural extension of that purpose, built on the same passion, creativity, and collaboration that define gaming and competition. Music and esports both bring people together, they let us feel the same rhythm, the same energy, wherever we are. With Music of EWC, we’re creating our own voice, sharing a universal language that tells the story of our sport and defines the role of esports in global culture.”
More details on the contest can be found at ewc.audiotool.com.
The Esports World Cup Foundation recently announced that the 2025 event will feature a total prize pool of $70 million USD.
The Esports World Cup is funded by a grant from the Saudi Arabian government’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, and is operated by Savvy Games Group subsidiary (also owned by the Saudi Arabian government), ESL FACEIT Group.
The Esports World Cup has received a fair share of criticism for helping the government engage in “sports washing,” or using various forms of sport and entertainment to cover up its record on human rights. These issues are regularly chronicled by international watchdog groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.