Will Saudi Arabia’s big bet on the Qiddiya gaming and esports city pay off? | The DeanBeat

A decade ago, Mike Milanov gave me a tour of the new headquarters for Team Liquid, an esports team in Los Angeles that was supported by gaming PC maker Alienware. The computer maker helped Team Liquid entice esports athletes by enabling a pampered life. They got access to expert health and medical advice, food from an amazing chef and massages to help them with recovery after matches.

It took a lot of vision to do that, as Los Angeles was soon beset with esports headquarters. Then the esports winter set in. Milanov is now at the forefront of another movement in gaming — this time in Saudi Arabia, where the nation is taming nature to carve a gaming and esports city out of some giant desert cliffs, like something out of the film Dune.