The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) and NetEase Games announced Thursday that Naraka: Bladepoint is the first game title announced for the Esports World Cup Festival tournament program, a new series of competitive events held in tandem with the Esports World Cup 2025 (EWC).
In case you are not familiar with the game, Naraka: Bladepoint is described as a free-to-play wuxia (a Chinese literary genre) action battle royale game developed by 24 Entertainment and published by NetEase Games.
NetEase Games will host the Naraka: Bladepoint Mid-Season Championship during EWC Festival 2025, with solos and trios competitions offering prize pools of $150,000 USD and $350,000, respectively. The competition will take place on Aug. 22 (solos) and Aug. 23 (trios).
“By bringing the Naraka: Bladepoint Mid-Season Cup to the Esports World Cup (EWC) Festival program, the global esports strategy of 24 Entertainment and NetEase Games is taking a pivotal step,” Naraka: Bladepoint Producer Ray Kuan said in a release. “By leveraging the global influence of EWC’s Festival, we continue to prove our commitment to delivering a premier competitive experience for players everywhere, offering a significant opportunity for Chinese action-combat games to shine on the world stage.”
Naraka: Bladepoint has had a thriving esports scene in China since its release in 2021. The esports circuit for the game sports a $1.5 million annual prize pool for solos and trios action, and has operated over the last three years.
The EWC Festival is focused on gaming, entertainment, and esports culture, offering esports tournaments, live music, retro arcades, anime cafes, cosplay shows, creator studios, and more.
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.