RIYADH: Hero Esports — Asia’s largest esports company — has announced it will launch the inaugural humanoid combat tournament in Riyadh this September, heralding a world-first fusion of robotics, artificial intelligence and competitive gaming,
Speaking to Arab News at LEAP 2026, Danny Tang, Hero Esports’ co-founder and CEO, said the groundbreaking Cyborg Hero tournament would take place on Sept. 9. Starting at 9 p.m., the event will feature full-sized humanoid robots competing in a kickboxing format, piloted by professional esports athletes using advanced control systems.
“It’s funny that we do have an announcement [to make] today that we’re actually launching the first ever humanoid combat, or humanoid kickboxing, tournament in Riyadh this September,” Tang told Arab News. “We’re really excited we have [this, rather than] regular boxing.”
A new paradigm for competitive sports
The initiative marks a significant strategic pivot for Hero Esports as it looks toward the next decade of digital entertainment. According to Tang, the concept was born out of a core question the company began exploring 12 months ago: What will human play and competition look like in 10 years?
