Qiddiya Positions Itself as New EVO Co-Owner After Acquiring RTS
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Key points
- Qiddiya has bought RTS, positioning itself as the new co-owner of EVO alongside Nodwin Gaming.
- The fighting game community’s reaction to the news has not been positive.
- A new sentiment in the community is forming, which involves supporting grassroots tournaments.
In a LinkedIn post, Qiddiya chief strategy officer Muhannad Aldawood revealed that the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund-backed company Qiddiya Gaming has fully acquired RTS. This makes it the new co-owner of EVO alongside Nodwin Gaming.
Aldawood mentioned in the post that the purchase allows “Qiddiya to keep fueling the continued growth of Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s largest fighting game event since 1996, with unlimited potentials.”
The fighting game community’s (FGC) reaction to one of the most prestigious tournaments being co-owned by the Saudi Arabia-based company was not positive. Pillars of the FGC, such as Stephen “Sajam” Lyon and Dominique “SonicFox” McLean, have voiced their opinions, with Sajam taking a much more hopeful stance.
In the X post he made, he mentioned that the news just made him want to create more cool stuff for the community and support the grassroots community. Sajam is an FGC commentator for various games and has declined the opportunity to work for the Esports World Cup, as well as an offer to work with the U.S. Army.
SonicFox, on the other hand, is a lot more vocal, saying that the LGBTQ+ community is a core part of the FGC, and that he would simply be “Gayer and Louder than ever as I wave my Trans Rights Flag in grand finals.” SonicFox is an eight-time EVO champion and a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Qiddiya’s co-ownership of EVO, as mentioned above, has not been welcome news for the community. However, a sentiment is currently forming in the community, which involves going back to locals and supporting grassroots tournaments and other large tournaments not related to EVO.
