At the Heart of Esports: Niko Partners at the EWC 2024 and New Global Sport Conference 2024

Throughout its eight-week run, Riyadh solidified its position as the epicenter of esports and entertainment, attracting over two million fans visiting and over 175k tickets sold at the Esports World Cup (EWC) festival in Boulevard City. This marks a significant milestone in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) journey to success, as the country’s esports and gaming landscape has undergone a remarkable transformation in the recent years. Esports was once a niche interest in the Kingdom and has evolved into a vibrant and influential cultural phenomenon, as we observed in the 1st of this 3-part blog post series on the EWC.

A new era of gaming, esports and entertainment has been ushered in at the world’s largest gaming and esports festival. According to Ralf Reichart, CEO of Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF), the EWC 2024 achieved a huge success, hosting a total of 1,500 athletes and over 200 clubs, with a record-breaking $ 60 million prize pool across 22 tournaments and 21 titles. The whole 8-week event has recorded over 500 million viewers, more than 250 million hours of content consumed across all platforms, with highest peak concurrent viewership at 3.5 million during League of Legends grand final between Korea’s T1 and Top Esports of China.

These monumental achievements further cement EWC’s position as a leading event in the global esports calendar, displaying the immense popularity and growth of competitive gaming in the KSA, MENA region, and globally. With the massive success of the inaugural EWC, EWCF has confirmed the second edition of EWC will return to Riyadh in July and August 2025.

Lisa’s highlight moments at the EWC 2024 and New Global Sport Conference 2024
The closing ceremony of EWC was held on August 25, which also featured the Esports Awards 2024 and New Global Sport Conference 2024. At the Closing Ceremony, the KSA’s hometown heroes Team Falcons were awarded the $ 7 million Club Championship prize pool and the EWC Club Championship Trophy. Interestingly, Team Falcons has fielded rosters in 18 of the event’s 22 game championships, making them the most-represented Club at the EWC.

Niko Partners is fully immersed in the excitement of the EWC. Lisa Hanson, the CEO and President of Niko Partners was at the New Global Sport Conference (NGSC) and the EWC final weekend.

Lisa at New Global Sport Conference 2024.

The NGSC 2024 was held between August 24 and 25, centered around the theme “The Future of Fandom,” and brought together leaders from various industries, including esports, gaming, business, sports, and entertainment.

The panel from left to right: Toshimoto Mitomo, Executive Deputy President and CSO, Sony Group Corporation; Sir Leonard Blavatnik, Founder of Access Industries and Owner of DAZN; Lisa Hanson, CEO and President of Niko Partners; Shuji Utsumi, President & COO, SEGA Corporation; and John Hanke, CEO of Niantic Inc.

Lisa was the moderator for “Navigating Growth in Games & Entertainment: Consolidation, Innovation, New Markets & New Fans” panel on August 24. The esteemed panelists included:

Toshimoto Mitomo, Executive Deputy President and CSO, Sony Group Corporation
Shuji Utsumi, President & COO, SEGA Corporation
Sir Leonard Blavatnik, Founder of Access Industries and Owner of Dazn
John Hanke, CEO, Niantic Inc.

The panel covered a range of critical topics across the broader gaming and entertainment industries, including:

Analyzing current trends in industry consolidation and their impact on the gaming and esports ecosystem
Discussing the challenges and opportunities in expanding into emerging markets, especially MENA, one of the fastest-growing gaming and esports market that we track.
Providing insights on balancing traditional gaming experiences with new forms of interactive entertainment
Addressing the evolving relationship between gaming, esports, and traditional sports entertainment. Localization is playing a key role in engaging local audiences and maintaining loyal fanbases (read more about the importance of localization in MENA gaming here in our free whitepaper jointly published with Saudi Esports Federation).

The KSA redefines esports consumption with iconic pop culture

Beyond the competitive esports nature of the EWC, the festival also offers a wide array of entertainment options to global fans, from music concerts to celebrity esports show matches. This shows that esports is more than just a fleeting entertainment buzz during the pandemic lockdown; it is strengthening esports as a new avenue of mainstream entertainment. The EWC has witnessed numerous strategic partnerships being made, reflecting esports’ growing popularity being recognized by global brands, seeking to engage with esports fans while tapping into new audiences.

In conjunction with a lineup of esports action, a series of musical events were organized by Saudi music entertainment company MDLBEAST across 7 consecutive weeks, between July 4 and August 15, with the final week occupied by the EWC 2024 closing ceremony. The weekly musical concerts are known as ‘AFT_r’, with a lineup featuring local and international music artists. Some artists include rappers Wiz Khalifa and Kid Cuti, international DJs such as Steve Aoki, DJ Snake, R3HAB, and Sebastian Ingrosso, who are gaming enthusiasts themselves.

Neymar and his team were crowned champion at Counter-Strike 2 and Tekken 8 matches

Prior to the closing ceremony, on August 20, a celebrity esports show match was hosted at the Qiddiya Arena in Boulevard Riyadh City. The sensational Brazilian footballer Neymar Júnior who recently moved to Saudi Pro League champions Al Hilal in summer 2023, competed in multiple esports matches with his Team Neymar, which then won the Counter-Strike 2 and Tekken 8 show matches. Neymar’s presence at the EWC bridges the gap between traditional sports and esports, captivating fans from both worlds.

EWC is one of the many global events Niko Partners has been proud to attend and participate in. We eagerly anticipate participating in exciting upcoming gaming and esports events in the future as we continue to stay at the forefront of industry trends and developments. Check out Niko’s esports research products and services. Keep up with Asia & MENA esports scene through NikoIQ, our intelligent online dashboard. We’re available to discuss your needs for bespoke research through our Custom Research & Consulting Service.

At the Heart of Esports: Niko Partners at the Esports World Cup 2024 and New Global Sport Conference 2024

At the Heart of Esports: Niko Partners at the EWC 2024 and New Global Sport Conference 2024