"Inside the Esports Foundation: How EWC's CCO Mohammad Al Nimer Does Business | RFT.GG
byMehdi•
Interview
"Inside the Esports Foundation: How EWC's CCO Mohammad Al Nimer Does Business
Cet article est aussi disponible en français.
There is, in the way Mohamed Al Nimer talks about the arrival of the Esports World Cup in Paris, someone who has learned to work with urgency. The kind that involves doing in a few months what was planned to be done elsewhere and differently. We sat down again with the director to discuss the major business questions surrounding EWC Paris.
Who Stays, Who Steps Back
We begin, naturally, with money. With sponsors, those partners whose loyalty is measured in signatures. Has the move to the French market reshuffled the deck?
Al Nimer doesn't dodge. The majority are following along, he says, because the contracts are multi-year, tied to the Foundation more than to a location. But then there are the others. Those for whom Riyadh was a strategic destination.
I won't hide from you that there are certain brands that were very focused on the Saudi market and have no presence whatsoever in the French market. They're going to have to take a break this year with the EWC and come back next year when the event returns to Riyadh, simply because there's no business or economic interest for those brands.
Here we can identify local brands such as Barns (coffee chains) or Al Baik (food service).
The Pull of French Brands
And then the void left by some is filled, it seems, with new opportunities.
"We're seeing tremendous interest from French brands since President Macron's announcement regarding the event's arrival in Paris." The optimism is measured, aware of the tight timeframe.
We're fairly optimistic about seeing French or international brands for which the local market is very important become part of the adventure, even though we have very little time. If we'd had six more months, we would have had many more brands join the adventure. So in the end we'll come out fine, we won't be at a deficit compared to what we had planned in Riyadh
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Breaking Out of Endemic Esports
There remains a question that has followed esports since its beginnings: can it speak to anything other than itself? Can it step outside the ecosystem, outside that circle of usual advertisers, to reach the brands beyond?
Al Nimer claims this evolution as his own. "We have always managed to break out of endemic esports." He cites Sony, which he readily concedes leans toward the gaming side, but also Pepsi, Mastercard, Amazon. And Hilton, above all, which he presents as proof. "Some have never been part of the esports world, like Hilton, and they started with us because there was a real story to tell." A story — the word comes up several times during our exchange, the quiet leitmotif of a foundation that strives to sell narratives rather than advertising space.
The Parisian Surcharge: "Honestly, No"
We ask about the extra cost of moving such an event, in just a few months, to one of the most expensive cities in Europe — the bill must have surely swelled? The answer is clear-cut: "An extra cost, no, honestly." He attributes this to the work of his teams and the support of the French state, which he thanks insistently.
Ticketing: A Deliberate Bet on Accessibility
When the conversation turns to ticketing, a philosophy emerges. The low prices (around ten euros on average) are not a concession but rather a deliberate stance.
It's a strategy to make the event accessible to fans. We know they're on average a bit younger than fans of other traditional sports.
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The esports audience is in its twenties, Al Nimer knows this, and he mentions Team Vitality fans following some twenty titles, for whom the bill climbs quickly even at gentle prices. A premium offering will be announced, including hospitality, catering, the comfort of those who pay not to wait in line. But the bulk of the venue will remain affordable. "The tickets will remain, in any case, more accessible for the general public."
Profitability ?
It's hard for us not to bring up the event's profitability. Will the Esports World Cup one day be able to do without public funding and live on its own alone?
Al Nimer reframes: "The Esports Foundation is a non-profit organization. We're not a private company with shareholders, so talking about profitability isn't very straightforward." But the idea isn't dismissed for all that. "I think yes, it's absolutely conceivable." What follows is a barely concealed pride: the Foundation generates revenues "sometimes comparable to certain organizers of international sporting tournaments."
These revenues have been measured and forecast — 120 million for sponsorship and more than 600 million estimated in economic spinoffs.
Broadcasting Rights
There is, however, one absentee, and it may be the most strategic of all: broadcasting rights. The economic lifeblood of established sports. Al Nimer, who also runs the Esports Nations Cup, knows that this format speaks another language to broadcasters.
The Nations Cup is of tremendous interest to the media, and certain traditional media are more inclined to invest in terms of broadcasting rights, even more so than on club formats. Because there we touch on national pride.
Everything is in that sentence — Team France, Korea, the United States, banners that everyone understands without needing the game behind them explained. "Supporting a national team becomes simpler for everyone." Where esports struggles to translate itself, the flag simplifies the equation.
This does not, however, erase the cold reality of business. "To obtain significant broadcasting rights, broadcasters need to be able to generate significant revenues. If there's no revenue, there's no interest for them to invest."
It seems, however, that the outlook is bright, since announcements are approaching — "several partnerships are going to arrive with fairly well-known broadcasters in certain major markets," deals he hopes to reveal in the weeks to come.
Leaving Twitch? "We Won't"
Leave Twitch, then? Migrate to television? "We won't leave Twitch, but yes." Respecting the habits of an audience born in the digital world, without forcing them out of it, while offering content capable of speaking to others — widening the circle without abandoning the core.
League of Legends
At RFT GG, we have to talk League of Legends, so we ask: what place does the game hold in the commercial pitch? Can a single title be sold on its own?
No, Al Nimer ruled. The contracts with publishers forbid it: you sell the Esports World Cup, not League of Legends or Valorant.
However, the presence of a game like League of Legends makes a real difference and helps make the package even more attractive.
Some games are beacons, and even brands that know nothing about esports recognize them. Finer integrations may emerge, directly within the game, but at the publisher's discretion.
At the club level, we know how much the "League of Legends factor" opens commercial doors — same logic for the Foundation?
"The difference is made mainly for endemic brands." For the others, those coming from outside, what matters is not the title but the event. Its DNA, the stories that can be built. "Brands have a strategy when they sponsor an event, so it depends on the brands, to be honest."
France, "A Fairly Obvious Choice"
Was France the best opportunity outside of Riyadh?
"France was a fairly obvious choice for us." A country well-versed in major events, capable of delivering something complex with a mastery he saw in action at the 2024 Olympic Games. A state that extends its hand and a public that responds. "Since we opened our ticketing, we've been quite impressed by the demand."
The enthusiasm preceded the announcement, already living in the rumors on social media. When sales opened, the figures followed: between 75 and 80% of ticket buyers in the first 48 hours were French.
In line with expectations? "We're absolutely on trend, these are averages very close to what we saw previously."
