Exploring the $70M Esports World Cup

The esports industry has heavily evolved over the past few years, and big moves continue to occur – especially out of Saudi Arabia.

In this episode, host Aaron Bush is joined by Mike McCabe, COO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, which runs a massive Riyadh-based annual esports festival. It’s gearing up for its second annual event in July, which will host 25 tournaments over 7 weeks with a whopping $70 million prize pool.

We chat about the global state of esports, Saudi Arabia’s continued ambitions, and where the industry is headed next. We also dig into the Esports World Cup, including its massive scale, logistics, non-profit ambitions, and how it aspires to leave an evergrowing impact on bringing esports mainstream in the future.

We’d like to thank Heroic Labs for making this episode possible! Thousands of studios have trusted Heroic Labs to help them focus on their games and not worry about gametech or scaling for success. To learn more and reach out, visit https://heroiclabs.com/?utm_source=Naavik&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=Podcast 

We’d also like to thank TikTok for making this episode possible. Whether you’re launching or scaling, TikTok supports full-funnel growth with creative impact, always-on engagement, and advanced measurement. Learn more at https://bit.ly/tiktokmorelevels

If you like the episode, please help others find us by leaving a 5-star rating or review! And if you have any comments, requests, or feedback shoot us a note at podcast@naavik.co.

Who’s On:

Guest - Mike McCabe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-mccabe-600532/ 

Host - Aaron Bush: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-bush-846b8185/ 

Watch the episode: YouTube Channel

For more episodes and details: Podcast Website

Free newsletter: Naavik Digest

Follow us: Twitter | LinkedIn | Website

Sound design by Gavin Mc Cabe.