Evo Bought By RTS, As Saudi’s Dominance in Esports Becomes Larger

Saudi Arabia’s investment in gaming and esports continues as Evo bought by RTS, a talent management and brand consultancy company owned by Qiddiya Investment Company, which also owns the Qiddiya City megaproject.

From 2021 to 2025, the premier fighting game tournament event was co-owned by Sony Computer Entertainment and RTW, which was still under the ownership of Endeavor.

In 2025, Sony sold their stake in Evo to Indian esports operator NODWIN Gaming. Not long after, RTS was bought by Qiddiya, and thus Evo was co-owned by NODWIN and RTS for quite some time.

Qiddiya City itself is a megaproject to build a district in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, focusing on tourism and entertainment hubs. Gaming and esports will be a crucial part of this megaproject.

Evo bought by RTS, owned by Saudi’s Qiddiya

The latest change in Evo’s ownership came from an update on Evo’s website, announcing that RTS’ parent company, Qiddiya, has purchased NODWIN’s ownership stake.

The purchase of Evo will reinforce Qiddiya City’s position as the world’s biggest esports and gaming hub. The city also hosts Esports World Cup tournaments.

Qiddiya ensures that the purchase will not transform Evo in a way that strays from the path and vision of Evo itself and what the fighting game community expects.

“Through RTS and Qiddiya City, we are committed to supporting Evo’s long-term growth in a way that respects its heritage and strengthens its role within the global fighting game community. This is about investing in the future of play and safeguarding what makes Evo special,” said Muhannad AlDawood, Chief Strategy Officer of Qiddiya Investment Company.

Evo laid out plans for 2026 tournament

After Evo bought by RTS, the tournament has already planned for some events to be held in the 2026 season. Some events and their locations have also been confirmed.

The series will begin with Evo Japan 2026 at Tokyo Big Sight on May 1-3, followed by Evo 2026 at the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall on June 26-28.

Another event, EVO France 2026, will be held in the city of Nice on October 9-11. Meanwhile, EVO Singapore is slated for 2027, and the second annual Evo Awards will be held on March 28.

“We are proud of our legacy with Evo that started 5 years ago. We’re going to continue investing in the things that matter to our community, elevating and empowering members of the FGC and working diligently with our game developer partners to ensure that Evo benefits all involved parties,” said Stuart Saw, Chief Executive Officer of RTS, who remained at his position.