GeoGuessr neighborhood maps go darkish in protest of EWC ties to human rights abuses

A gaggle of GeoGuessr map creators have pulled their contributions from the sport to protest its participation within the Esports World Cup 2025, calling the match “a sportswashing instrument utilized by the federal government of Saudi Arabia to distract from and conceal its horrific human rights report.” The protestors say the blackout will maintain till the sport’s writer, GeoGuessr AB, cancels its deliberate Final Likelihood Wildcard match on the EWC in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 21 to 27.

GeoGuessr is a browser recreation the place gamers attempt to pinpoint areas utilizing solely Google Avenue View pictures, and it depends on neighborhood mapmakers to remain related. The blackout, which started on Could 21, consists of “dozens of creators and their maps, together with a supermajority of the preferred competitively related world maps,” in keeping with a press release the group shared on Reddit. The eliminated maps have been performed tens of hundreds of thousands of occasions.

One of many largest GeoGuessr communities, Plonk It, has additionally removed its Map Directory and shared the mapping neighborhood’s open letter. That assertion reads in full as follows:

We, the creators of a substantial share of GeoGuessr’s hottest maps, have determined to make our maps unplayable in protest of GeoGuessr AB’s determination to host a World Championship wildcard tourney on the Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh.

The EWC is a sportswashing instrument utilized by the federal government of Saudi Arabia to distract from and conceal its horrific human rights report.

Teams focused by the federal government embrace ladies, LGBTQ individuals, apostates and atheists, political dissenters, migrant employees within the Kafala system, non secular minorities, and plenty of others. The subjugation of those teams is in depth and pervasive. Members of those teams are routinely subjected to discrimination, imprisonment, torture, and even public executions. These extreme human rights violations are well-documented and indeniable.

By taking part within the EWC, GeoGuessr is contributing to that sportswashing agenda, which is designed to take consideration away from Saudi Arabia’s human rights violations.

The GeoGuessr neighborhood is various and consists of many members of teams that will be harshly persecuted had been they to reside in Saudi Arabia. In solidarity with these presently residing in Saudi Arabia whereas being topic to oppression, in addition to members of the neighborhood who would really feel and be unsafe attending the match in Riyadh, we’ve determined to black out our maps by changing all their earlier areas with random rubbish areas, rendering them unplayable.

This blackout consists of dozens of creators and their maps, together with a supermajority of the preferred competitively related world maps. It’s going to proceed till we see motion from GeoGuessr; particularly, we demand that GeoGuessr cancels its wildcard occasion in Saudi Arabia and commits to not internet hosting any occasions there so long as it continues its oppressive regime.

You do not play video games with human rights.

Thanks for studying.

The GeoGuessr mapping neighborhood

We have hit up GeoGuessr AB for a touch upon the blackout and can replace this story as we hear again.

The EWC is a big, multi-game occasion owned and operated by the Saudi authorities and held within the nation’s capital metropolis. It is an evolution of the Gamers8 match and this yr marks the second EWC-branded competitors; it is resulting from happen in July and August with a complete prize pool of $38 million, cut up amongst 24 video games. Franchises taking part within the 2025 occasion embrace Rocket League, Apex Legends, Name of Responsibility, League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Overwatch, Dota 2, Valorant, Avenue Fighter 6, EA Sports activities FC and PUBG.

It is tough to compete in esports with out working into Savvy Video games Group, the video game arm of Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund. Alongside internet hosting the EWC, Savvy has monetary stakes in Nexon (10.2 p.c possession), Digital Arts (9 p.c), Embracer Group (8.3 p.c), Nintendo (7.5 p.c), Capcom (5 p.c) and Take-Two Interactive (6.8 p.c as of 2023). Savvy additionally runs ESL FACEIT Group, which incorporates the Digital Sports activities League, a longstanding and vital esports occasion firm. The New York Times reported final yr that the Saudi authorities plans to speculate $38 billion within the online game trade by 2030.

Human rights teams together with Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have lengthy documented the abuses of the Saudi authorities. HRW describes Saudi Arabia’s human rights report as “abysmal,” and particularly calls out the PIF as a reputational whitewashing instrument. Saudi authorities have been accused of sportswashing in conventional sports activities as effectively, particularly by the nation’s possession of LIV Golf and Newcastle United FC.

In February, Riot Video games — the operator of League of Legends, Valorant and Teamfight Ways, and arguably the biggest identify in esports — signed a three-year deal with the Esports World Cup Basis for an undisclosed sum. Riot defended the partnership, arguing that the ensuing monetary boon for gamers and the esports trade outweighed different issues.

“We all know a few of chances are you’ll not really feel nice about our determination to associate with the EWC on this method, and we respect that,” Riot’s statement learn.

Although company help for the EWC stays sturdy, the GeoGuessr mapping neighborhood is not alone in rejecting this yr’s match. Avenue Fighter 6 participant Christopher Hancock, who performs as ChrisCCH for FlyQuest, lately declined his spot at EWC 2025. In a social media statement, Hancock stated, “I gave this determination a whole lot of thought and in the end determined that, because of the nature by which the occasion is funded and managed, I don’t really feel comfy taking part in it.” He added that the partnership between the Capcom Professional Tour and the EWC successfully compelled him to work with the Saudi-backed group.

“Selecting to not take part in any EWC qualifiers would successfully imply retirement from competing,” Hancock stated. “I discover it regrettable that this occasion has turn out to be so deeply embedded within the [fighting game community], however I’ve not but decided on whether or not I’ll cease competing in occasions related to it altogether.”

Alongside the GeoGuessr map blackout, the neighborhood protest added one new, brief problem to the sport referred to as How to Run A Dictatorship. It takes gamers by 5 areas round Riyadh, documenting the alleged government-sanctioned torture, kidnapping, imprisonment and oppression of ladies, LGBTQ individuals, non secular minorities and political dissenters occurring in these locations. The problem takes just some minutes, so be at liberty to experience it yourself.

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