Saudi Arabia Unveil Plans For First Esports District

Saudi Arabia have announced plans to create the world's first esports district and that work is already underway in a project to be called 'Qiddiyah City.'

This is in line with recent movement from the Saudi government to diversify investments and streams of income and the world of gaming is now firmly within their sights. They have already hosted the Gamers8 Invitational tournament for Street Fighter 6 and are currently hosting the Riyadh 2023 Global Esports Games and the Qiddiyah gaming project seems to be the next thing on their list. 

The plans for this city have been in development for at least four years and it seems like it will be a reality in the near future. 

In a video on the official Qiddiyah Gaming account, the outfit claimed that the city will feel like the inside of a game with a constantly evolving cityscape and all sorts of amazing things for players and visitors. 

Qiddiyah has also revealed plans to have at least 10 million visitors by 2030, four esports venues each with at least 73k capacity. They are looking to be the hub of the gaming world and hope to have the regional headquarters of at least 30 gaming companies. 

Their ambitions are there for all to see and the reaction has been somewhat mixed as some have applauded the plan while some wonder how this is supposed to work. This is clearly a megacity that is still some years in the making. 

In the immediate future however, Saudi Arabia will be hosting the first ever Esports World Cup in 2024.