Riot Games Backs Out Of Saudi Deal

The European Championship will no longer partner with Neom

News by Fragnarok on  Jul 30, 2020

Earlier this week, Riot Games revealed that their League of Legends European Championship would be hosted and sponsored by the Saudi Arabian city Neom. The mega city is funded by Prince Mohammed bin Salman and touted as an advanced smart city fully integrated with data technology. The announcement was mostly met with criticism from players and other Riot staff, resulting in Riot Games backing out of the deal this Thursday.


Riot Games,League of Legends,Neom,Saudi Arabia,Mohammed bin Salman
 

Bin Salman is a controversial figure, with claims that the crown prince ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Neom project also came under fire after its construction resulted in the displacement of over 20,000 members of the Howeitat tribal confederation within the area. League of Legends players, casters, and staff also highlighted that Saudi government policy heavily disenfranchises minorities, women, and the LGBTQ community. Critics not only denounced the partnership as unethical, greedy, and hypocritical, but also threatened potential boycotts of the European Championship.

Outside of the initial statement ending the Neom deal, Riot Games has not yet hinted at an alternate home for the European Championship.        

Kurtis Seid, NoobFeed
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