Here is more information about this acquisition and the FGC’s response to it.
Qiddiya, a global partner of the Evolution Championship Series (Evo) since 2024, has acquired full ownership of RTS, according to Muhannad Aldawood. Aldawood is the chief strategy officer at Qiddiya.
Qiddiya fully acquires Evo organizer RTS
On Sept. 2, Aldawood shared on LinkedIn that Qiddiya has fully acquired RTS. He described the move as a strategic step that strengthens Qiddiya’s esports business and expands opportunities in the broader gaming ecosystem.
"Excited to share that Qiddiya has acquired full ownership of RTS, a strategic step that will further strengthen our esports business and unlock new opportunities across the broader gaming ecosystem," Aldawood wrote.
Aldawood added that the acquisition will support the continued growth of Evo and help the event reach new heights for the fighting game community (FGC).
The post then thanked several folks, including RTS CEO Stuart Saw, Evo general manager Richard Thiher, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) global vice president of new ventures and business development Steven Roberts, and NODWIN Gaming co-founder Akshat Rathee.
The LinkedIn post arrived 12 days after Qiddiya announced its investment in RTS. Also on Aug. 21, Qiddiya announced the extension of its global partnership with Evo through 2027.
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Under the LinkedIn post, many folks congratulated Aldawood. Rathee, for example, stated that it's a pleasure to be part of Evo and a backer of the entire team in Aldawood's photo.
"Excited and hopeful of building for the future together!" Rathee wrote.
Folks on X also reacted to the announcement. Commentator Stephen "Sajam" Lyon, for example, wrote on X that it was only a matter of time.
"I think the news personally just makes me want to think about more ways to create cool stuff for the rest of our community," Sajam added in another post. "It feels like the pieces that belong to fighting game fans are shrinking all the time."
Replies to the post included offers of help, concerns about costs, and observations about the state of the FGC. Some users mentioned Saudi Arabia's investment and sportswashing.
Eight-time Evo champion Dominique "SonicFox" McLean shared some thoughts on X as well. They wrote that they plan to continue pursuing personal goals at Evo and will not be erased. SonicFox added that they will remain a visible advocate for LGBTQA+ rights.
"I implore other allies that if they attend these events that you wave these flags around too as much as you can," SonicFox continued. "We, the LGBTQ+ community, are a core part of the FGC and we aren’t going anywhere, and this only motivates me to use my platform to amplify our voices even further."
According to the Government of Canada at the time of publishing this article, Saudi Arabia's law "criminalizes sexual acts and relationships between persons of the same sex." Meanwhile, Amnesty International's 2024 report detailed the country's human rights issues.
That's all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more news and updates.
