Asian Tech Press (Oct 24) -- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced on Monday that Saudi Arabia will launch the annual Esports World Cup (EWC).

At the same time, he said that the the first event will be held in Riyadh next summer.

The competition will help Saudi Arabia accelerate the realization of its national gaming and esports strategy, according to a statement.

The strategy aims to increase the contribution of the gaming and esports industry to Saudi Arabia's gross domestic product by more than SR50 billion by 2030 and create 39,000 new jobs.