ESL FACEIT Group today announced opening a broadcast hub in Riyadh to support its ongoing growth in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East and North Africa region. The new broadcast hub will provide Arabic broadcasts of EFG’s global esports events, kicking off with localization in Arabic of the Overwatch Champions Series DreamHack Dallas Major from today May 31-June 2 produced from the Riyadh location.
The move marks EFG’s expansion of its regional footprint into one of the youngest and fastest-growing gaming communities in the world, with the vision of making the experience of global premier esports events more accessible to Middle Eastern audiences. That journey will begin with an Arabic broadcast of the first-ever OWCS international LAN event, which is taking place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Center this weekend during the international gaming festival DreamHack Dallas. Homegrown casting and production talent will support the Arabic version of the tournament, including local Saudi Arabian staff.
The Overwatch Champions Series Dallas Major, a collaboration between Blizzard Entertainment and EFG, welcomes eight of the world’s top teams, including Saudi Arabia’s own Twisted Minds, for three days of premier Overwatch 2 competition. Featuring a prize pool supported by crowdfunding, fans in Saudi Arabia and MENA can watch the action unfold at home with the Arabic broadcast by EFG’s local team – as players face off to be the first team to claim an international OWCS title and qualify to compete at Esports World Cup.
Fans from the region will also have access to custom Overwatch 2 content made possible by the OWCS’ partnership with Porsche. These rewards include in-game cosmetics similar to the recently released Legendary D.Va skin inspired by Porsche’s new all-electric Macan model.
The OWCS Dallas Major broadcast is the first initiative of a long-term commitment from EFG, the pioneer of the global esports and gaming ecosystem as an operator of Gamers8 and Esports World Cup, a global partner of Qiddiya Esports & Gaming district, and a part of Savvy Games Group. To help inspire next-generation gamers in MENA, EFG will offer the local community in the coming months access to top-tier international competitions, including championships in EFG’s Snapdragon Pro Series, the world’s largest multi-title mobile esports league, produced in partnership with Qualcomm Technologies. Fans will also have access to the Intel Extreme Masters Counter-Strike esports circuit, the pinnacle of professional play in both titles, with broadcasts hosted in Arabic from its broadcast hub in Riyadh.
EFG’s Arabic live-stream events will feature a slate of AAA game titles, including Moonton’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, with finals streamed live from Jakarta, Indonesia, on ESL Arabia channels, August 2 – August 4, 2024. Further details of new titles and dates to be announced soon.
“Saudi Arabia is one of the fastest-growing esports markets in the world with a thriving gaming fanbase, and the national initiatives like Vision 2030 showcase the country’s desire to fuel not only local gaming growth but contribute to the industry’s international success,” said Franck Guignery, SVP, Middle East and Africa, ESL FACEIT Group. “We are thrilled to bring our premier esports programming to the region and to help its passionate players, fans, and creators build deeper connections with the global community of their favourite brands and titles and, most importantly, with each other.”
