- How was the Saudi Esports Federation (SEF) born?
I got a mandate to start a federation as part of the growth of Saudi Arabia’s sports ecosystem, and the Saudi Esports Federation was announced in November 2017. Since then, it has evolved hugely. For example, we joined the International Esports Federation, and then we did our first event in 2018. For that first event at KAPSARC (King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center), we did FIFA, League of Legends, Super Super Smash Bros., Tekken and Mario Kart, and had 1,500 esports athletes and 5,000 people show up to watch – which was completely unexpected. Every single event since then has grown, whether in viewership, whether in participation, or sign up. We now have a University League, Open League, Saudi eLeague, and over 100 professional teams that are professionally created with players under contract. And then we have Gamers8, the biggest gaming and esports festival worldwide, which is held in Riyadh for eight weeks each summer. The federation has grown exponentially year upon year.
- Has your personal gaming background spurred the growth of SEF?
I should hope so! I came into this federation with a background as a gamer, rather than in the industry. My view has always been ‘players first, community first’. This permeates throughout the whole team. If we treat the players the best way that we can then they will give us the best games and the best product that is put out there for the public. They are a key stakeholder – they are the intermediate between us and the publisher and the public. Focusing everything around them gives us the best pathway to success. We have an Academy who are teaching youths how to become a professional – including strategy, gameplay, and how to become better as a player. But also coaching, broadcasting, event planning and much more. These all provide career pathways in the industry. We’ve also looked at how to transition in this industry when done playing, which can be at an early age in our competitive world, or out of it if that’s their choice – they will have learned many transferable skills.
- What have been the major challenges and how have you overcome them?
Challenges are part of the enjoyment – if everything was easy, then what would be the point? I would say our biggest challenge has been staying ahead of the curve. We do that by keeping an ear to the ground and listening to the players, the community, the publishers, and our partners in the industry. We listen to what is not just wanted in the industry but needed. We start to become a leader by doing that – which is difficult but a lot of fun. Another challenge has been from creating something fresh five years ago – to where we are now, which is becoming a global hub for gaming and esports. Our first meeting with publishers was always ‘why?’ – ‘why should we do this with you?’, ‘why should we be doing this with you at all?’. That conversation has now changed to ‘why are we not doing something with you?’, ‘how can we do something with you?’, ‘why are we not in this region?’, ‘why don’t we have Arabic language?’ – and this is where we want to get to. We want to get to the place where people know instantly that this is a growth region and somewhere they need to be a part of.
- How is gaming diversifying the Saudi Arabian economy – and how will that provide impact internationally?
It will have a huge impact. Just look at the National Gaming and Esports Strategy – and the fact that we have a strategy under Vision 2030 says enough as it is – 39,000 jobs by 2030, SAR50 billion in GDP contribution, top three in games per capita worldwide. And also 250-plus gaming related companies in Saudi Arabia. These will all help us reach our end goal of becoming a global gaming and esports hub. The key is working every day with our private and public sector partners to ensure we succeed. The interesting part though is that if we are moving faster than we initially thought, we can become even more ambitious. We believe absolutely that we can add value to the global gaming experience.
- How do you see the next five to 10 years for SEF?
So, we have 2030 Vision and our plan within that. But there is a quote I read from Jeff Bezos, (the founder, executive chairman, and former president and CEO of Amazon), where he says the most common question he gets asked is ‘what’s going to happen in the next 10 years?’. And he says the more important question is ‘what’s happening now?’ – and nobody asks that question. With our industry, predicting the next 10 years is almost impossible. But what we can do now gives us the best chance to be in the right spot at the right time to be a leader over the next five to 10 years. And that’s key, and I can say without hesitation that all the growth you have seen so far is only the beginning.
