4-day tournament runs from Thursday July 6 until Sunday July 9 RIYADH: Gamers8, the biggest esports and gaming festival worldwide, kickstarts the eight-week summer series by welcoming the world’s best Fortnite teams and players to Riyadh this weekend. For the latest updates, follow us on Twitter @ArabNewsSport The eagerly anticipated four-day Fortnite tournament begins on Thursday July 6 and has a $2 million prize pool, with the winners taking home a cool $500,000. Organized by the Saudi Esports Federation, Gamers8 featuring Fortnite has 44 duos competing in Riyadh. Last year’s Gamers8 featuring Fortnite event saw Malibuca, from Galaxy Racer, and EpikWhale, from TSM, claim the Standard version crown and earn $250,000. Malibuca also took home an extra $100,000 in prize money as the MVP, or Most-Valued Player. The victors of the Zero Build tournament — who also collected a cool $250,000 in winnings — were Anas, from Guild Esports, and Pinq, from Tundra Esports. Faisal bin Homran, director at the Saudi Esports Federation, said: “Gamers8: The Land of Heroes is delighted to welcome back Fortnite to our roster of elite competitions that will make Boulevard Riyadh City the place to be this summer. Fortnite is one of the most popular games across Saudi Arabia and far beyond and was a beloved part of our schedule last season. “This series will continue to deliver fierce competition from the top Fortnite players around the world, ensuring Gamers8: The Land of Heroes is the destination for elite esports champions and the unrivaled pinnacle of gaming and esports festivals worldwide.” The Gamers8 featuring Fortnite format this time is Zero Build, where building is disabled in this mode, but the Overshield is enabled. The tournament starts with one day of local qualifiers that will see the best five duos from the region qualify for the main event. The main event takes place from July 7 to 9 over 18 matches, 44 duos, and on a points-based system. Fortnite is the opening tournament in this summer’s Gamers8: The Land of Heroes season alongside Tekken, which also takes place at Boulevard Riyadh City on the same dates. This year’s Gamers8 has a prize pool of $45 million — triple that of the tournament last year. The festival concludes with the Next World Forum, a gaming and esports event on Aug. 30 and 31, that brings together sector leaders and experts from around the world.