GeoGuessr Withdraws from Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia Amid Backlash

GeoGuessr has officially withdrawn from the Esports World Cup following intense backlash from players and map creators who criticized the company for participating in an event hosted by Saudi Arabia later this summer.

GeoGuessr, a globally popular geography-based game with over 85 million users, challenges players to identify their location using only street view imagery. The game has evolved into a competitive esports title thanks to its robust customization options—players can choose between urban or rural settings, restrict regions, toggle movement controls (including NMPZ—No Movement, Panning, Zooming), and explore a vast library of community-created maps. These features have cemented its place in the competitive gaming scene.

However, on May 22, a group of top map creators led by Zemmip—representing a significant portion of GeoGuessr’s most popular competitive maps—initiated a community-wide "blackout," rendering their maps unplayable in protest. The action was taken in response to GeoGuessr's decision to host a World Championship wildcard tournament at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh.

In a statement posted to the GeoGuessr subreddit, Zemmip highlighted Saudi Arabia’s documented human rights violations, noting that marginalized groups—including women, LGBTQ+ individuals, religious minorities, political dissenters, and migrant workers under the Kafala system—face systemic oppression, imprisonment, and even execution.

"By participating in the EWC, GeoGuessr is contributing to sportswashing," the statement read. "This agenda aims to divert attention from Saudi Arabia’s severe and well-documented human rights abuses." The blackout would remain in effect, the organizers declared, until GeoGuessr canceled its involvement and committed to avoiding future events in Saudi Arabia while the current regime remains in power.

"You don't play games with human rights," the statement concluded.

GeoGuessr has pulled out of the Esports World Cup after a backlash.Following a wave of confusion on social media and the subreddit—where users encountered disabled maps—GeoGuessr responded with an official statement from CEO and co-founder Daniel Antell on May 22. He confirmed the company would withdraw from the event, citing the community’s feedback as decisive.

"We will not participate in the EWC," Antell stated. "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 Middle Eastern community and further GeoGuessr’s mission of helping everyone Explore the World. Since Erland, Anton, and I founded GeoGuessr in 2013, we’ve always aimed to be a community-first game. Everyone at our Stockholm office is a passionate player, building this game with you and for you."

He continued: "That said, you—our community—have made it clear that this decision does not align with what GeoGuessr stands for. So, when you tell us we’ve got it wrong, we take it seriously. That’s why we’ve decided to withdraw from the Esports World Cup in Riyadh. We’ll share details on how wildcard qualifications will be handled as soon as possible. Thank you for speaking up."

The top reply on the GeoGuessr subreddit now reads: "Now that's a 5K"—a nod to the game’s highest possible score, achieved by pinpointing an exact location.

Another user commented: "The community came together, they fought for what they wanted, and they got it done."

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

Despite GeoGuessr’s withdrawal, numerous major titles and publishers are still set to participate in the July event, including Dota 2, Valorant, Apex Legends, League of Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Rainbow Six Siege, and many others.

Meanwhile, GeoGuessr recently launched on Steam, where it initially became the second-worst-rated game on the platform. While its rating has since improved to seventh-worst, players have expressed frustration over missing features in the supposedly free-to-play version—particularly the inability to play solo for practice. The free amateur mode appears to be populated largely by bots rather than real players. Additionally, users reported that purchases and unlocks from the browser version do not transfer to the Steam release, a major point of contention.