RIYADH: Sixteen gamers from the Arabian Gulf, including four Saudis, will have the chance to battle their way to an eSports final on Dec. 15 and share in a SR1,000,000 prize pot which will be available on race day at the 2018 ‘Saudia’ Ad Diriyah E-Prix.
The grand final of the ‘ABB FIA Formula E Road to Ad Diriyah Esports Championship’ will take place at the stunning UNESCO heritage site of Ad Diriyah on the same day that Formula E drivers compete on the track on Dec. 15.
To date, four Saudi gamers have secured their spot at the finals at two showdowns in the ‘Road to Ad Diriyah’ activations in Jeddah and Khobar. The two final qualifying spots will be available inside the E-Village at Ad Diriyah for race goers holding ‘Saudi’ Ad Diriyah E-Prix tickets on Dec. 13.

Prior to the race, 10 qualifying spots will be made available to online gamers from the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, with eSports enthusiasts able to enter and post their fastest laps between Nov. 25 to Dec. 2. The top 10 fastest drivers, aged 18 or older, will then be flown with Saudia Airlines to the Kingdom to face down their six local rivals and chase the prize fund.
The President of the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al Faisal Al Saud said: “We are inviting the world to be part of the ‘Saudia’ Ad Diriyah E-Prix, both by launching tourist visas for the first time for global travelers and opening up the Esports Championship to gamers from across the GCC. It will be an exciting competition and eSports sits perfectly within this celebration of technology and action, both on the track and on consoles.”
The race takes place against a back drop of a three-day festival of cultural activities and entertainment including live music performances from six globally renowned artists.
Fans from the Kingdom will be joined at the event by international tourists from the Gulf and around the world, with tourist visas available for the first time via new the online Sharek process.