GeoGuessr pulls out of Saudi Arabia Esports World Cup in response to community protest

The community let GeoGuessr know it was not pleased with its decision to attend the Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia.

GeoGuessr has backflipped on its decision to attend the Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia following community backlash.

GeoGuessr CEO and co-founder made an announcement regarding the company’s decision to pull out of the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The official GeoGuessr social media account posted the quote in full on May 22, 2025, which you can read below:

Hi everyone,
I’ve seen your reactions over the past few days regarding our decision to participate in the Esports World Cup in Riyadh. When we made that decision, it was with positive intentions. To engage with our community in the Middle East and to spread GeoGuessr’s core mission of let everyone Explore the World.
Since Erland, Anton, and I founded GeoGuessr in 2013, we’ve always strived to be a community-first game. Everyone here at the Stockholm office is a passionate GeoGuessr fan, doing our best to build something meaningful, with you and for you. That said, you - our community - have made it clear that this decision does not align what GeoGuessr stands for.
So, when you tell us we’ve got it wrong we take it seriously. That’s why we’ve made the decision to withdraw from participating in the Esports World Cup in Riyadh.
We will come back with information on how the wildcards will be distributed as soon as possible.
Thank you for speaking up and sharing your thoughts.
/Daniel

It was on May 16, 2025, that GeoGuessr announced it would be hosting the Last Chance Wildcard Tournament live in Riyadh. Social media responded swiftly to the announcement, with comments being displeased at the company’s decision to attend the Saudi Arabia event. Claims have been levied that the country is using the Esports World Cup as a means of “sportswashing” its human rights record. A post from some map creators for GeoGuessr lays it out:

Groups targets by the government include women, LGBTQ people, apostates and atheists, political dissenters, migrant workers in the Kafala system, religious minorities, and many others. The subjugation of these groups is extensive and pervasive. Members of these groups are routinely subjected to discrimination, imprisonment, tourture, and even public execution. These severe human rights violations are well-documented and indisputable.

It’s great to see GeoGuessr stick to its morals and listen to its community. The game has seen a lot of use lately, with fans even creating an Elden Ring GeoGuessr game. This likely won't be the last we hear of Riyadh's Esports World Cup.