The Gamers8 festival is due to run between July 6 and August 27 in the Saudi Arabian capital city, with the Club Awards initiative rewarding the top eight clubs from a points-based system across all titles.

A top prize of $1.5 million (£1.2 million/€1.4 million) is on offer, with the second-place club standing to earn $1.1 million (£870,000/€1 million) and third-place $800,000 (£630,000/€740,000).

Fourth place offers $575,000 (£460,000/€530,000), fifth $425,000 (£340,000/€390,000), sixth $300,000 (£240,000/€280,000), seventh $200,000 (£160,000/€190,000) and eighth £100,000 (£80,000/€90,000).

An Awards Ceremony is scheduled for August 30 and 31 after the conclusion of the event.

Last year's Gamers8 festival featured a total prize pool of $15 million (£11.9 million/€13.9 million), which has more than trebled to over $45 million (£35.7 million/€41.7 million) for this year's edition.

Gamers8 represents an example of Saudi Arabia's increasing influence in esports, mirroring its rise as a destination for sports events such as the 2034 Asian Games and 2029 Asian Winter Games.

Critics view this as an attempt to sportswash the Mohammed bin Salman regime's record on human rights.

Homosexuality and same-sex marriage are both outlawed according to Saudi Arabia's uncodified Islamic law, and its record on women's rights continues to be heavily criticised despite some recent reforms.

The Saudi leadership has also been criticised for the alleged state-ordered assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, its role in the bombing of Yemen and its use of the death penalty.