GeoGuessr has withdrawn from the Esports World Cup after widespread criticism from its players and map creators over its participation in the controversial event, slated to be hosted by Saudi Arabia later this summer.
GeoGuessr is an enormously popular geography game with 85 million users, challenging players to identify their location after being dropped into a random spot somewhere on the globe. The game offers extensive customization options developed by both the creators and the community, allowing players to choose their opponents, select specific maps, decide between urban or rural settings, restrict locations to certain regions, and toggle movement, panning, and zooming capabilities — including the "no move, pan, or zoom" (NMPZ) mode. It also features a wide array of fantastic custom maps made by the community and has long been a staple in the esports scene.
However, on May 22, Zemmip — posting on behalf of creators behind a significant portion of GeoGuessr's most popular maps — initiated a "blackout" by making their maps unplayable. This protest was a direct response to the company's decision to host a World Championship wildcard tournament at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh.
"The Saudi government systematically targets women, the LGBTQ community, atheists and apostates, political dissidents, migrant laborers under the Kafala system, religious minorities, and other marginalized groups," Zemmip stated on the GeoGuessr subreddit. "The oppression these groups face is systematic and severe. They routinely endure discrimination, imprisonment, torture, and even public execution. These human rights violations are thoroughly documented and undeniable.
"By taking part in the EWC, GeoGuessr is endorsing a sportswashing strategy intended to divert attention from Saudi Arabia’s human rights record," the statement continued.
The blackout involved dozens of creators and their maps, "including a supermajority of the most popular, competitively relevant world maps." Organizers declared that the protest would persist until "GeoGuessr cancels its wildcard event in Saudi Arabia and commits to not holding any events there as long as the country’s oppressive regime remains in place."
"Human rights are not a game," the statement concluded.
After numerous posts appeared on the subreddit and social media from confused players asking why their maps were blacked out, GeoGuessr issued a statement early this morning (May 22), announcing that it had listened to community feedback and would withdraw from the event.
"We will not participate in the EWC," read the statement from CEO and co-founder Daniel Antell. "I’ve seen your reactions over the past few days regarding our decision to participate in the Esports World Cup in Riyadh.
"Our original intention was positive — to connect with our Middle Eastern community and promote GeoGuessr’s core mission of enabling everyone to Explore the World. Since Erland, Anton, and I founded GeoGuessr in 2013, we’ve aimed to prioritize our community. Everyone at our Stockholm office is a dedicated GeoGuessr fan, working hard to build something meaningful with and for all of you.
"However, you — our community — have made it clear that this decision conflicts with what GeoGuessr stands for," the statement continued. "When you tell us we made a mistake, we take it seriously. That’s why we have decided to pull out of the Esports World Cup in Riyadh. We will share details on how the wildcard slots will be redistributed as soon as possible. Thank you for voicing your opinions and speaking up."
The top comment on the GeoGuessr subreddit now reads: "Now that's a 5K" — referring to the highest possible score for pinpointing an exact location in the game.
"The community united, stood up for what they believed in, and achieved their goal," another user added.
IGN has reached out to the Esports World Cup for comment.
Numerous other games 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, and Rainbow Six Siege, among many others.
GeoGuessr launched on Steam last week, initially ranking as the second-worst-rated game of all time (it has since improved slightly, now standing as the seventh-worst-rated game on the platform). Players criticized the ostensibly free-to-play title for lacking essential features — you can't even play solo to practice and improve. The free amateur mode appears to be dominated by bots rather than genuine players. Perhaps most surprisingly, even if you pay to unlock features in the browser version, they do not transfer to the Steam release.
