Danish based esports organiser BLAST has ended an arrangement with Neom following a backlash ©Blast Pro Series

BLAST, a Danish based esports tournament organiser has announced it has ended a controversial partnership with Saudi Arabian city Neom.

The partnership was cancelled following a backlash from esports fans, teams and broadcasters, as reported by ESPN.

The move makes BLAST the second major esports company to end an arrangement with Neom in the face of criticism, following on from Riot last month.

BLAST owner RFRSH Entertainment was criticised for entering into the deal with Neom, a planned mega-city in the north-west of the country.

Following the criticism, RFRSH Entertainment announced an end to the partnership.

Danish based esports tournament organiser BLAST has ended its controversial partnership with Neom ©Getty Images
Danish based esports tournament organiser BLAST has ended its controversial partnership with Neom ©Getty Images

On July 29, League of Legends developers Riot ended a partnership with Neom, less than 24 hours after it was announced, following a backlash from its own employees, esports fans and broadcasters.

Neom, a city in the Tabuk province of Saudi Arabia, has been described as "humanity's next chapter" and there are claims it will feature flying cars, robot dinosaurs and an artificial moon.

The city, which is set to cover an area larger than Belgium, is estimated to be costing $500 billion (£382 billion/€422 billion).

Controversy surrounds the construction of Neom, which is set to lead to the eviction of 20,000 members of the Huwaitat tribe.

Other criticism of BLAST and Riot's partnerships with Neom were in relation to Saudi Arabia's record on human rights - including freedom of speech, women's rights, its treatment of the LGBTQ+ community and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, an author and journalist who assassinated in October 2018 by agents of the Saudi Government.