The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced a partnership with Amazon and its subsidiary Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Financial terms of the new deal were not disclosed.
AWS has been named the exclusive cloud partner of the Esports World Cup, providing the competition access to “advanced cloud technology and machine learning capabilities” as well as “AI-powered live match insights, including win probabilities and player heat maps, automated highlight generation tailored to fans’ favorite moments, and interactive dashboards for real-time statistics,” according to the announcement.
Amazon will serve as the official e-commerce partner of EWC, giving the event a central location to sell merchandise and other assets to the public at large through its regional e-commerce site.
In addition to providing cloud and e-commerce technology to EWC, amazon and AWS will also participate in a number of activations during the remainder of EWC including “Hero’s Corner”, an online destination that brings together AI-powered entertainment, exclusive shopping deals, and live tournament streams in one place in KSA and UAE. On-site activations will also take place at Riyadh Boulevard and Amazon will sponsor segments such as post-match interviews. Finally, Amazon will also brand a “premier gaming venue” on Riyadh Boulevard—the Amazon Esports Arena.
“With over 23.5 million gamers and a gaming market valued at $2.3 billion, Saudi Arabia stands as one of the world’s fastest-growing gaming markets,” said Fahad Bahdailah, head of communications, Amazon Saudi Arabia. “We’re excited to be part of Saudi’s growing gaming ecosystem, offering our Amazon.sa community enhanced localized experiences that bring fans closer to the action than ever before, while giving youth something special to look forward to this summer.”
Amazon and Amazon Web Services join a growing list of partners and sponsors including Greenfly, Saudia, Cenomi Centers, the Saudi Tourism Authority, Hilton, Mastercard, IMG, Spotify, Lenovo, stc Group, Stream Hatchet, and Aramco, among others.
The Esports World Cup is a seven week, multi-title competition hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, featuring an overall prize pool of more than $70 million USD. The competition is funded by a grant from the Saudi Arabian government’s Public Investment Fund and operated in cooperation with ESL FACEIT Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi government-owned gaming and esports company Savvy Games Group. The 2025 edition runs from July 7 – Aug. 24.
Projects backed or owned by the Saudi Arabian government such as Esports World Cup are criticized for helping the government engage in “sports washing,” or using various forms of entertainment to cover up its record on human rights, women’s rights, LGTBQ+ rights, military actions in Yemen, and more. These and other criticisms have been highlighted by international watchdog groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.