As traditional investors turn their eyes away from esports, Saudi Arabia is continuing its aggressive acquisition of esports companies. In January 2022, Savvy Gaming Group, a subsidiary of the state-backed Public Investment Fund, acquired independent tournament organizers ESL and FACEIT for $1.5 billion, merging the two competitors into one and forming a super group. Now, just over a year later, that company's purchased Vindex, who are the owners of one of their competitors, Esports Engine. With that acquisition, the Saudi government holds a near monopoly on esports that aren't run by the game developers and publishers. This week on the pod, veteran esports journalist Richard Lewis and Washington Post editor Mikhail Klimentov, who've been covering the stories, joined to discuss the dangers a Saudi-backed monopoly on the esports industry.
You can follow Richard here and Mikhail here.
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