Saudi-owned RTS has officially taken full ownership of fighting game tournament series EVO, as former co-owner Nodwin Gaming exits and leaves RTS solely in charge.
As reported by Shacknews, Nodwin Gaming will remain involved in EVO to assist with marketing and some members of leadership will remain in place. However, RTS, the talent management and brand consulting company originally founded by streamer Pokimane, will take full control.
“We are proud of our legacy with Evo that started 5 years ago,” said RTS CEO Stuart Saw in a statement. “We’re going to continue investing in the things that matter to our community, elevating and empowering members of the FGC and working diligently with our game developer partners to ensure that EVO benefits all involved parties.”
EVO’s shifting ownership has been an ongoing point of discussion and eventually concern in the fighting game community for the last several years. In 2021, PlayStation purchased EVO alongside RTS, leading many fans to express concern over how this would impact games from competing first parties, such as Nintendo. And indeed, Nintendo removed Smash Bros. from EVO 2022. Then, last August, Sony sold its ownership stake in EVO to Indian gaming and events company Nodwin Gaming, which left Nodwin and RTS as joint owners.
At the same time, Saudi Arabian investment company Qiddiya entered the picture. Qiddiya Investment Company is the company behind a massive entertainment and tourism project in Saudia Arabia, which aims to build a high-tech city centered around sports, gaming, and entertainment, and is both owned and funded by the Saudia Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF). While Qiddiya initially just announced an investment in RTS, as well as an intention to remain an EVO partner through 2027. However, just one month later, Qiddiya fully acquired RTS, meaning that EVO is now effectively owned and run by the Saudi government.
This news has been met negatively from many fans of the fighting game community. “Evo is dead. Go to your locals,” reads one top comment on the thread about the news on r/Fighters. “And this, everybody, is why supporting grassroots locals should still be the priority over pushing big tentpole tournaments,” reads another. Largely, those expressing criticism of the change cite Saudi Arabia’s history of human rights abuses including in recent years, and including in connections to projects funded by the PIF. Community members also cite the country’s repression of LGBTQ+ individuals, noting that many members of the fighting game community also identify as LGBTQ+ and would not feel safe attending. Some major players, such as Maximillion Dood and Sajam, have already stated they would not attend EVO last year, when Saudi involvement first became apparent.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].
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