Saudi Esports Federation, in partnership with ESL, today announced that it’s bringing back Gamers Without Borders this year, a charity festival organized to battle against the COVID-19 virus and provide people in need with the necessary medical relief.
Launched last year to a similar cause, Gamers Without Borders attracted over 460,000 gamers from 141 countries, and a streaming audience of more than 14 million to its main tournament event.
Held under the theme of ‘No One Left Behind’, the festival’s $10 million charity prize-fund will be competed over a six-week period in the Elite Series, which will pit some of the best players in the world against each other in games like Rainbow Six Siege, Fortnite, Rocket League, PUBG Mobile, and Counter Strike: Global Offensive. The prize money will be distributed towards vaccine distribution to the world’s poorest countries.
The Elite Series will be broadcast live from the festival’s virtual studio, and will be available in seven different languages to make it accessible to as many players as possible around the world.
Along with the main tournament, the festival will also host community tournaments, where players can contest each other in titles such as Overwatch, Tekken 7, NBA2K, Call of Duty, Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege, and more. The first contest will go underway on June 7.
“We truly believe in the power of gaming and esports. We know what gamers can do when they unite behind a cause – and there is no bigger global cause than fighting this virus,” said His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan is chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation. “It is important to understand that even with vaccines rolling out in developed nations, millions of others face the possibility of not being vaccinated for months or maybe years.”
“Our mission is ‘No One Left Behind’. We want to connect, inspire and entertain the international gaming community to ensure we leave no one behind in supporting the world’s ongoing recovery from COVID-19. We will be bringing the biggest names, elite teams, epic titles and brand-new gaming experiences to excite fans across the globe,” he added.
In addition to the tournament, Gamers Without Borders will be accompanied by a full entertainment schedule, complete with magazine-style review and analysis streams, talk shows, comedy and live concerts and more. The event last year hosted the likes of Snoop Dogg, Lian Payne, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dele Alli and Paulo Dybala, and promises to bring a similar A-list appearances for this year for virtual fan meet-and-greets.
The festival will officially get underway with the community tournaments from June 7, registration for which will be available soon on the official website. Gamers from across the globe can watch all the action live on the Gamers Without Borders YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels.
