$1 million Tekken 7 tournament announced for Riyadh Masters

Tekken 7 will go out with a bang, with the 3D fighter getting a $1 million sendoff at Riyadh Master 2023.

Gamers8 has revealed Tekken 7 as the first fighting game to be featured at Riyadh Masters. The $45 million event will mark the largest prize pool in the history of several games, and Bandai Namco’s flagship fighter is no exception. The timing of the announcement essentially makes Riyadh Masters the grand finale for the game’s competitive scene, as Tekken 8 is just around the corner.

Saudi Arabia-based esports organizer Gamers8 announced the $1 million Tekken 7 tournament on April 10, 2023. The short video showed gameplay footage along with a confirmed date and prize pool for the event. The entire bracket will take place over just three days, from July 6 to July 9, making that weekend the most exciting time ever to be a professional Tekken player.

The event will mark the biggest prize pool in the history of Tekken 7. Like many fighting games, the series has generally had low prize support compared to team-based esports like Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Riyadh Masters will quadruple the current biggest prize pool, which is $250,000 at Tekken World Tour Finals 2019.

Street Fighter 6 is getting a $2 million tournament when it launches later this year, so Bandai Namco may try to match it after Tekken 8 releases sometime later this year.

Tekken 7 and other fighters may get $1 million prizes

Tekken 7 is the first fighting game announced for Riyadh Masters 2023, but other fighters will likely get their own $1 million or comparable prize purses. 

Riyadh Masters 2022 featured Tekken 7, among other fighting games, for its debut year, and some of the other fighters will likely make a return. Street Fighter 6 will be out for just over a month when the event starts, making it an almost guaranteed inclusion. King of Fighters is another popular franchise in the Middle East with several prominent players.