GeoGuessr Withdraws from Saudi Esports Event Amid Backlash

GeoGuessr has withdrawn from the Esports World Cup after facing significant backlash from players and map creators for participating in an event set to be hosted by Saudi Arabia later this summer. This decision highlights the game's commitment to its community and values, despite the initial intent to expand its reach in the Middle East.

GeoGuessr, a wildly popular geography game with 85 million users, challenges players to identify their location after being dropped into random spots around the world. The game offers extensive customization options, allowing players to tailor their experience, from choosing opponents and maps to deciding whether to be placed in urban or rural settings, and even toggling movement and zoom capabilities. These features, along with a wealth of community-made custom maps, have cemented GeoGuessr's status as an esports staple.

On May 22, Zemmip, representing a significant portion of GeoGuessr's top map creators, initiated a "blackout" by making their maps unplayable. This protest was in response to GeoGuessr's decision to host a World Championship wildcard tournament at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh. Zemmip's statement on the GeoGuessr subreddit highlighted the human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia, targeting groups such as women, the LGBTQ community, apostates, atheists, political dissenters, migrant workers under the Kafala system, and religious minorities. The statement accused GeoGuessr of contributing to Saudi Arabia's sportswashing agenda, which aims to distract from these human rights violations.

The blackout involved dozens of creators and their maps, including most of the popular competitively relevant world maps. The protest would persist until GeoGuessr canceled its event in Saudi Arabia and pledged not to host future events there while the oppressive regime remains in power. The statement concluded with a powerful message: "You don't play games with human rights."

GeoGuessr has pulled out of the Esports World Cup after a backlash.

Following the blackout and numerous inquiries from confused fans on social media and the subreddit about why their maps were blacked out, GeoGuessr issued a statement on May 22. CEO and co-founder Daniel Antell announced the company's withdrawal from the Esports World Cup, acknowledging the community's strong opposition. He explained that the initial decision to participate was made with the goal of engaging with the Middle Eastern community and promoting GeoGuessr's mission of exploring the world. However, the community's feedback made it clear that this decision conflicted with the game's values.

"We will not participate in the EWC," Antell stated. "When you tell us we’ve got it wrong, we take it seriously. That’s why we’ve made the decision to withdraw from participating in the Esports World Cup in Riyadh. We will come back with information on how the wildcards will be distributed as soon as possible. Thank you for speaking up and sharing your thoughts."

The top reply on the GeoGuessr subreddit praised the community's efforts, saying, "Now that's a 5K" — referencing the highest possible score in the game for pinpointing an exact location. Another comment celebrated the community's unity and success in advocating for change.

IGN has reached out to the Esports World Cup for a response. Despite GeoGuessr's withdrawal, numerous other games and publishers, including Dota 2, Valorant, Apex Legends, League of Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Rainbow Six Siege, among others, are still scheduled to participate in the event in July.

GeoGuessr recently released on Steam, initially debuting as the second-worst-rated game of all time on the platform. It has since improved to the seventh-worst-rated game. Players criticized the lack of solo play options for practice, the presence of bots in the free amateur mode, and the fact that paid features from the browser version do not transfer to Steam.