In a partnership that nobody saw coming, British Esports and the Saudi Esports Federation have struck a landmark deal to work together. This news was shared by British Esports on Twitter, and despite the positive sentiment pouring from within the message, it was met with backlash on social platforms. In recent months, the Saudi Esports Federation has been pushing an aggressive growth campaign that has seen it reveal partnerships with plenty of brands, but this latest one has users up in arms.
This year alone, we’ve seen the Saudi Esports Federation align with the likes of KFC, Sportfive, Aramco, Razer, PepsiCo, LG, and the IESF. It’s a very busy time for the Saudi esports initiative, which is coming up in the world based on massive government backing worth billions of dollars. It’s also happening off the back of Gamers8, which is now – by numbers – the biggest esports event on the face of the Earth, and it takes place in Riyadh.
What Are The Fans Saying?
British Esports focuses a lot on youth and grassroots competitions (Image Credit: British Esports Association)
It’s not good news for the fans, and that shows in the comments being left anywhere that this news is posted. On Twitter, several users took to the airwaves to express their concerns regarding the British Esports x Saudi Esports Federation deal, which is outlined in the below tweet:
On the back of this post, users were sharing their thoughts:
‘Would love to see more promotion of LGBTQIA+ inclusivity here’ – Jacob Hale
‘You cannot claim to be supportive of women and the LGBTQ+ community and then do this’ – Slumpii
‘Come on, how does this have anything in relation to British esports whatsoever?’ – Coach Kybet
‘UUK esports once again – not here to win’ – Gooner
I personally scrolled through hundreds of comments and saw almost nothing that presented a positive outlook. For the most part, users are slamming British Esports, accusing the organisation of just ‘securing the bag’ by partnering with the Saudi Esports Federation.
Related: Gamers8 Could Change Esports
What Happens Now?
It was just two months ago that the British Esports account on Twitter posted a message celebrating Pride and the inclusivity of underrepresented groups in esports. Now, in this latest update, whoever runs the social account is reportedly hiding replies that talk about British Esports’ Women in Esports initiative. It’s a tough time to be a PR representative in the British Esports firm, but how deep will this partnership really run?
In the article posted on the British Esports platform, CEO Chester King spoke about what’s coming:
‘We are excited about this collaboration, which is poised to usher in a new era for esports in the UK. As two of the world’s leading esports federations, our joint efforts will undoubtedly shape the future of the industry, providing incredible opportunities for esports athletes, professionals and enthusiasts alike.’
It is a little vague as to what lies ahead, but there will be matches hosted between competitors from Saudi and the UK, and ‘educational initiatives’ and research projects will be set up across both nations. We’ll likely know more in the coming months, so stay tuned to Esports.net!
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