Scaling Gamers8 into a Global Esports Brand

From Gamers8 to Esports World Cup: White Label Wins from a Record-Breaking Season

Back in 2022, we were invited to take part in something big. Gamers8, Saudi Arabia’s massive push into the gaming and esports world, was gearing up for its first fully international edition. Our role? Help bring this gaming festival to life through white-label strategy, marketing insight, and a deep focus on audience experience. Fast forward to 2025, and it’s now called the Esports World Cup — with 7 weeks, $70 million in prizing, and the bold tagline: Only the Best Make History.

I'm proud to have contributed to this journey — not just as external partners through The 4 Winds Entertainment, but as an embedded part of the team helping transform a good event into a global destination.

Season in Numbers: A New Benchmark for Gaming Events

The 2023 season shattered all expectations:

• 3.8 billion total interactions across platforms

• 1.31 billion total broadcast views

• 2.66 million in-person visitors

• 1 million+ peak concurrent viewers

• 385,600+ active players onsite

• 551,600+ venue visitors over 8 weeks

These numbers don’t just reflect hype — they show deep engagement, real retention, and broad appeal that spans hardcore esports fans to mainstream entertainment seekers.

From 2022 Lessons to 2023 Breakthroughs

Working white-label with the internal Gamers8 team, our 2022 contributions taught us some important lessons:

• Visitor experience was fragmented, largely due to unclear pre-event communications and logistical gaps on-site.

• Audience targeting was too narrow, leading to missed opportunities with regional and international segments.

In 2023, we helped recalibrate that:

• Built multi-layered marketing funnels for Saudi nationals, GCC neighbors, and international B2B audiences.

• Worked with teams to align marketing calendars with game releases, live tournaments, and influencer peaks.

• Helped inform a clearer venue communications plan, using gamified RSVP flows and interactive scheduling to minimize friction.

The result? A 3X increase in player participation compared to 2022 — and a clearer path for long-term growth.

Strategic Focus: More Than Just a Festival

Gamers8 was never just about throwing a big party (though it absolutely delivered on spectacle). The deeper objective was to position Saudi Arabia as a long-term hub for global gaming and esports culture. That meant:

• Building retention into the event structure — player growth wasn’t just a stat; it was a metric for long-term ecosystem health.

• More publishers: Our global connections helped us bring a plethora of AAA and AA publishers to showcase their latest games at the event, from PlayStation to Xbox, passing by Ubisoft, Namco Bandai and more.

• Using marketing as infrastructure — content strategy, influencer comms, and audience mapping were all built for continuity, not just flash.

• Pushing for accessibility — including proposals for e-visas and local partnerships to remove friction for international visitors.

These weren’t just ideas on a deck. They were baked into campaign executions, from local pride activations in Riyadh to FOMO-driven GCC rollouts, and early-stage B2B talks with studios and publishers looking to enter the region.

What’s Next?

As Esports World Cup takes over in 2025, I'm excited to see this project scale even further — and I'm ready to continue supporting the teams behind it, whether through white-label strategy, content mapping, or player journey design.

For us at Cabinet du Savoir Ludique, Gamers8 has been more than a client, it helped us solidify our expertise in the Arab world. It’s been a playground, a case study, and a proving ground for what smart marketing and good games can do together.