GeoGuessr Exits Saudi Esports World Cup After Backlash

GeoGuessr has withdrawn from the Esports World Cup following backlash from players and map creators who criticized the company's decision to participate in the controversial Saudi Arabian-hosted event scheduled for this summer.

As an immensely popular geography game with 85 million users, GeoGuessr drops players into random global locations and challenges them to identify their whereabouts. The game offers extensive developer and community-driven customization, allowing players to choose opponents, select map types (urban or rural), restrict locations to specific regions, and toggle movement, panning, and zooming features—including the popular "no move, pan, or zoom" (NMPZ) mode. It also features a rich variety of community-created custom maps, cementing its status as an esports staple.

However, on May 22, Zemmip—representing creators behind many of GeoGuessr's most popular maps—organized a "blackout," disabling access to their maps in protest of the company's plans to host a World Championship wildcard tournament at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh.

"The Saudi government systematically targets women, LGBTQ individuals, apostates, atheists, political dissidents, migrant workers under the Kafala system, religious minorities, and others," Zemmip stated on the GeoGuessr subreddit. "The oppression faced by these groups is widespread and severe, involving discrimination, imprisonment, torture, and even public executions. These human rights abuses are thoroughly documented and undeniable.

"By taking part in the EWC, GeoGuessr is supporting a sportswashing agenda designed to divert attention from Saudi Arabia's human rights record," the statement added.

The blackout involved dozens of creators and their maps, "including a significant majority of the top competitive world maps." Organizers vowed to continue the protest until "GeoGuessr cancels its Saudi Arabian wildcard event and commits to avoiding future events there as long as the oppressive regime persists."

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

After numerous posts appeared on social media and the subreddit from confused players wondering why their maps were inaccessible, GeoGuessr issued a statement this morning (May 22) announcing its withdrawal from the event in response to community feedback.

"We will not participate in the EWC," read the statement from CEO and co-founder Daniel Antell. "I've observed your reactions over recent days regarding our initial decision to join the Esports World Cup in Riyadh.

"Our original intention was positive: to engage with our Middle Eastern community and further GeoGuessr's mission of helping everyone Explore the World. Since founding GeoGuessr in 2013 with Erland and Anton, we've always aimed to be a community-first game. Our Stockholm team consists of passionate GeoGuessr fans working hard to build something meaningful with and for our players.

"However, our community has clearly communicated that this decision conflicts with GeoGuessr's values," the statement continued. "When you tell us we've made a mistake, we listen. That's why we've decided to withdraw from the Esports World Cup in Riyadh. We'll share updates on wildcard distribution shortly. Thank you for speaking out and sharing your perspectives."

The top response on the GeoGuessr subreddit currently states: "Now that's a 5K"—referring to the maximum score for pinpointing an exact location in the game.

"The community united, advocated for their beliefs, and achieved results," added another user.

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

Despite GeoGuessr's withdrawal, numerous games and publishers remain scheduled for the July event, including Dota 2, Valorant, Apex Legends, League of Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Rainbow Six Siege, along with many others.

GeoGuessr's recent Steam launch saw it initially debut as the platform's second-worst-rated game (though it has since improved to seventh-worst). Players expressed frustration over missing features in the supposedly free-to-play title, including the inability to play solo—even for practice. The free amateur mode appears populated primarily by bots rather than real players. Most notably, purchasing features on the browser version does not grant access to the Steam version.