GeoGuessr Pulls Out of Esports World Cup in Riyadh Amid Community Protest

GeoGuessr has withdrawn from the Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia following criticism from players and map creators over the event's controversial hosting later this summer.

GeoGuessr, with 85 million users, is a popular geography game where players identify random global locations. It offers extensive customization, including developer and community-created maps, urban or rural settings, specific regions, and options to move, pan, or zoom (or not, in NMPZ mode). The game has long been a staple in esports.

On May 22, Zemmip, representing creators of many popular GeoGuessr maps, initiated a "blackout," rendering their maps unplayable to protest the company’s plan to host a World Championship wildcard tournament at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh.

Zemmip stated on the GeoGuessr subreddit, "The Saudi government targets women, LGBTQ individuals, apostates, atheists, political dissenters, migrant workers in the Kafala system, religious minorities, and others, subjecting them to discrimination, imprisonment, torture, and public executions. These human rights violations are well-documented."

"By joining the EWC, GeoGuessr supports Saudi Arabia’s sportswashing efforts to distract from these violations," Zemmip added.

The blackout involved numerous creators and their maps, including most competitively significant world maps, and was set to continue until GeoGuessr canceled its Saudi event and committed to avoiding future events there under the current regime.

"Human rights are not a game," the statement concluded.

After fans expressed confusion on the subreddit and social media about unplayable maps, GeoGuessr issued a statement on May 22, announcing its withdrawal from the event.

"We will not participate in the EWC," said CEO and co-founder Daniel Antell in the statement. "We aimed to engage our Middle East community and promote GeoGuessr’s mission to explore the world. Since Erland, Anton, and I founded GeoGuessr in 2013, we’ve prioritized our community. We’re passionate fans working to create something meaningful for you."

"Our community has made it clear this decision doesn’t reflect GeoGuessr’s values," the statement continued. "We take your feedback seriously and have decided to withdraw from the Esports World Cup in Riyadh. We’ll share details on wildcard distribution soon. Thank you for your input."

The top reply on the GeoGuessr subreddit reads: "Now that's a 5K," referring to the game’s highest score for pinpointing an exact location.

"The community united, fought for change, and succeeded," another user commented.

IGN has reached out to the Esports World Cup for comment.

Other games and publishers, including Dota 2, Valorant, Apex Legends, League of Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Rainbow Six Siege, among many others, are still set to participate in the July event.

GeoGuessr’s recent Steam release was poorly received, initially ranking as the second-worst-rated game on the platform, though it has since climbed to seventh. Players criticized the free-to-play title for lacking solo play, even for practice, with the free amateur mode dominated by bots. Additionally, features unlocked via payment on the browser version do not transfer to Steam.