The Saudi Arabian Government's $1.5 Billion Esports Investment feat. Leonardo Biazzi

Last month, Savvy Gaming Group purchased both ESL and FACEIT Group in a massive $1.5 billion dollar deal. Savvy is fully backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and is essentially the esports and gaming arm of its larger sports acquisition and marketing efforts. The Saudi Arabian government has a poor human rights record, including a number of vast restrictions to women, and anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Over the past years, the country has been trying to change its public image around the world by sponsoring, via the PIF, sports events such as Formula One and buying soccer clubs, a strategy that has been branded sportswashing. ESL Gaming, which also comprises Dreamhack, reportedly made up to $1 billion of the deal. This week, Henrique (filling in for Imad) is joined by Leonardo Biazzi, a longtime CS:GO reporter and staff writer at Dot Esports who has been following Saudi Arabia's "sportswashing" initiatives closely.