Saudi Arabia to host the first-ever Esports World Cup in 2024
For the first time, Saudi Arabia will be hosting the inaugural Esports World Cup in 2024 – an historic event aimed at focusing on competitive gaming. The competition will be held annually in Riyadh with a substantial prize pool, bringing together the best esport players and teams from around the world.
Esports tournaments have resulted in grand opportunities for bettors, as millions of people around the globe are now placing wagers on them. Esports are games where human participants engage in head-to-head contests in a variety of games and genres including the likes of Call of Duty, Counter-Strike: Ghost Operative, Dota, Dragon Ball Fighter Z, and Apex Legends to name a few.
According to Prince Mohammed, the Esports World Cup presents an unparalleled esports experience that challenges the limits of the industry, making it the logical progression for Saudi Arabia to become the preeminent global epicentre centre for gaming and esports.
This eSports tournament is part of the government’s strategy to strengthen the nation’s economy through gambling. The finer details of the eSport World Cup will be disclosed at the start of 2024.
Already, the Saudi Pro League enjoys international support from football enthusiasts since Arabian clubs began spending lavishly to entice superstars to the Gulf state. Cristiano Ronaldo became a member of pro-league Al-Nassr FC in 2022. In addition, Karim Benzema, Ngolo Kante, Sadio Mane, Jordan Henderson, and Riyad Mahrez all relocated to join Al-Ittihad FC
But Saudi is not done yet. It has been vying for the rights to host the 2034 Fifa World Cup, and in a surprising turn of events – the Gulf State won it. Yes that’s right, Saudi Arabia will be hosting the 2034 Fifa World Cup.
Viewership of eSport games
In the world of eSports, it will be an exceedingly tough task to beat opponents. In 2023, League of Legends held a viewership of over 6.4 million showing its continued dominance of the esports charts. This is despite its relatively meagre $7.7 million prize pool. Counter-Stike: Ghost Operative only attracted a viewership totalling 1.5 million, despite being sweetened by a massive prize pool worth over $17.4 million.
With the upcoming eSports world championship on the horizon, several top-tier gaming developers remain committed to making 2024 epic with an impressive line-up of exciting new game releases and a slew of fresh revamped and remodeled all-time favorites. These comprise the popular Tekken 8, Stormgate, Project L, and ZeroSpace to name a few.
The convergence of esports and online casino gaming
Although sports wagering has been around for centuries, it is a progressive, ever-changing industry. Technological advancements and the arrival of novel sport disciplines have placed the industry in a period of versatility and dynamic innovations.
Equipped with gamification and eSports, the future of wagering on sports appears promising, as these developments are revolutionizing how we wager on sports. Gamification offers a novel approach to fostering player engagement and enhancing each experience, whereas rewards-based casinos and esports present an entirely new realm of prospects.
Computer-generated approximates of actual sports activities such as football and horse racing constitute virtual sports. Esports involve competitive gaming events wherein human participants are engaged in head-to-head contests.
Over the years, eSports has experienced a meteoric rise in prominence and popularity, attracting millions of viewers and participants from around the world to follow and spectate its much-loved tournaments. The elevated status of eSports has prompted its incorporation into the wagering side of things and gave rise to Gamification. This is a term that has gained significant attention since online casinos and sportsbooks started using the reward principles of video games to increase player engagement. These were done by adding elements such as leaderboards, player statuses, prizes, and achievement emblems, into the wagering process.
Gamification incorporates design elements typically found in video games into the context of online casinos. In addition, it also includes the implementation of components in non-gaming environments such as characteristics that are not directly associated with the games themselves (as in the case of casino slots, for example).
Gamification elements and Online Casinos
Gamification casinos are an innovative virtual form of online casino entertainment that caters to the preferences of the younger generations. Statistics indicate a growing trend among younger igamers to explore the realm of online casinos, while an increasing number of players are turning to online video games to relax. These two previously divergent worlds appear to complement each other perfectly. Gamification is the instrument of choice that enables online casinos to differentiate themselves from the saturated conventional casino industry through the provision of a more distinctive and customized online gambling encounter.
Online casinos that pioneer gamification employ elements to construct a narrative that progresses through casino games, conveying that narrative to their participants. By means of this, a distinctive and improved player experience follows, leading to an expanding community of enthusiastic users eager to get a gratifying experiences.
Instead of perpetually wagering your bankroll on slot machines, online players can now participate in an exciting mission or adventure. It is possible to receive supplementary rewards, which can enhance one’s sense of satisfaction regarding financial and time management, even in the event of a complete loss on slots.
Applying Gamification to Online Slots
By repurposing popular video game elements, gamification creates a more engaging and thrilling online experience, drawing significant influence from the exceptionally popular video gaming industry. It consolidates the two realms into an unprecedented method of participating in and navigating online casinos.
Upon entering the Castle Builder II slot, players are transported to the Meadowlands and presented with a choice between male and female characters, with the latter being activated later. The first release of Castle Builder claimed the 2023 EGR Award for best game, and the second release features an extensive roster of characters, beginning with Sam, the construction expert.
Winning means adding building materials to the meter which once full, completes another part of the castle. After completing a castle, princesses move in, and a contest begins with its goal being to determine the most suitable suitor, with cash prizes awarded to the most appropriate candidate. Playing the esports game offers a variety of advantages such as unlocking free spins to advance your progress, exploring expansive worlds comprised of 15 kingdoms, and earning progressive potential and RTP.
An increased RTP, 75 castles, an extended playing time augmented by substantial content, five distinct game categories, four distinct game difficulties, and over three hundred princes, princesses, and admirers contribute to the gratifying user experience.
As esports take the world by storm, players around the world cannot wait for the first ever Esports World Cup to be held in Saudi Arabia. It will definitely be one for the books.