Dozens of top GeoGuessr mapmakers have blacked out content after the game confirmed its $20K wildcard at the Saudi-backed Esports World Cup.
Dozens of top GeoGuessr mapmakers have blacked out content after the game confirmed its $20K wildcard at the Saudi-backed Esports World Cup.
GeoGuessr’s surprise addition to the 2025 Esports World Cup Festival was meant to be a milestone — a quirky browser game turned esports contender on the biggest stage.
But instead, it has ignited a fierce backlash, with some of the game’s most prolific mapmakers blacking out their content in protest.
Just days after GeoGuessr announced plans to host a $20,000 Last Chance Wildcard Tournament in Riyadh this July, dozens of community creators made their maps unplayable.
These aren’t obscure locations either — they include many of the most popular and competitively important maps in the game.
The protest, first organised through the game’s Discord and Reddit communities, targets the Esports World Cup’s ties to the Saudi Arabian government, which critics accuse of using such events for “sportswashing” to downplay ongoing human rights concerns.
The creators argue that GeoGuessr’s participation directly undermines the inclusive, globally-minded values the game has come to represent.
A statement circulated among the mappers said the blackout would remain in place unless the tournament in Riyadh is cancelled and the company pledges not to hold future events in the country.
GeoGuessr relies heavily on community-made maps to power its ranked play, duels mode, and esports scene. With many of those maps now offline or stripped of meaningful locations, core competitive features have been left in disarray.
Developers have since clarified that they are not receiving funding from the Saudi government and are covering the event’s costs themselves, but their assurances have done little to stem the growing unrest.
As we previously reported, GeoGuessr’s EWC appearance was unlikely to shake up the esports betting landscape, with few esports betting sites offering markets on the title.
But even without the betting spotlight, the Riyadh wildcard was meant to signal legitimacy for a game long operating at the fringes of competitive play.
Instead, it has sparked one of the most visible protests in esports this year — and left GeoGuessr’s competitive future hanging in the balance.