Clareto Monsorate, Dubai

Esports has recently been creating big waves in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

And capitalizing on the boom in electronic sports, video games developer Riot Games is staging its first official event in the region.

The Nexus festival, with a prize pot of $2 million (SR7.5 million) across six competitions, runs from Dec. 5 to 7 as part of Riyadh Season, an initiative by the Saudi General Entertainment Authority (GEA) aimed at transforming the Kingdom into a global tourist and entertainment destination.

An audience of around 30,000 is expected to attend the festival, being staged on Riyadh Boulevard, which will be themed around the iconic “League of Legends,” a multiplayer online battle arena game, and will also include experiential zones, tournaments and concerts.

Onur Tamer, METAI general manager at Riot Games, said: “We opened our offices in the region over a year ago. Since then, we have been working on ways to deliver local experiences to our communities and players across the MENA region. The Nexus is our first step on solidifying our presence in the region to support and celebrate our players.

“The launch of The Nexus festival is just one part of our plan to increase our presence in the MENA region. We are also looking at rolling out Arabic language support for all our products starting next year, along with a localized version of ‘League of Legends’ for all our players.”

Riot Games’ $2 million prize offering is said to be the largest distribution the region has seen in the gaming industry. The five versus five summoners rift, the event’s primary competition, has prize money of $850,000, while the influencer tournament will see the top eight influencers of the region team up with micro influencers to battle for a slice of the $750,000 prize.

The winners of the one versus one battle, Team Fight Tactics, auto battler within the “League of Legends” universe and the Cosplay competition, will share the remaining $400,000.

The competition kicked off in November with qualifying rounds spread across 13 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, with the top eight teams competing in the main event in Riyadh. The qualifiers will be broadcast live and streamed online on “League of Legends” Arabia Twitch channel.

With 23 different activities, mini-games and players being able to mingle with their favorite champions in an enjoyable interactive way, Riot Games aims to create a fun family experience open to participants of all ages.

In line with the “League of Legends” penchant for creating musical experiences over the last decade, The Nexus festival will have music at its core offering, featuring spectacular shows and an immersive visual experience with established international artists.