At Tokyo eSports Festa 2026, hosted by the Tokyo eSports Festa Executive Committee (comprising the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and industry organizations) and held at Tokyo Big Sight from January 9 (Friday) to 11 (Sunday), 2026, many programs promoting exchange and understanding through esports were held, bringing together players, students, and companies from Japan and abroad.
In this article, we report on the ‘ZETA DIVISION Talk Session & TEKKEN 8 Student International Exchange Match’ held on Saturday, January 10, along with scenes from the venue.
In the student international exchange match in the second half, Prince Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud of the Saudi Esports Federation attended and delivered a powerful message to the younger generation.
Event Overview
This overseas exchange project was held with the aim of having students from Tokyo and Saudi Arabia learn from one another through esports.
In the talk session in the first half, ZETA DIVISION player KEISUKE, Tetsuro Chiba, and others took the stage.
- Experience in international tournaments
- Growth as players competing on the world stage
- Team management and cultural exchange
These were among the themes they discussed.
In the second half, students from Japan and Saudi Arabia faced off in an international exchange match in TEKKEN 8. With many students appearing on an international stage for the first time, the venue was filled with a warm atmosphere throughout.
Student International Exchange Match Report
Match 1
Ahmed Musa A. Mubarak (Saudi Arabia)
vs
Deo (Tokyo)
From the opening moments, both players cautiously probed each other’s movements, and the venue was filled with quiet tension.
Ahmed Musa A. Mubarak chose Jin and took control with precise spacing and accurate wall carry.
Meanwhile, Deo played a daring style, surging forward all at once whenever he got into his preferred range.
However, Ahmed Musa A. Mubarak’s judgment and quick responses proved superior, and the first match went to Saudi Arabia.
After the match, Deo shook hands with a smile despite his frustration.
It was impressive to see them connect through the game even without a shared language.
Match 2
Husam Basam Alharbi (Saudi Arabia)
vs
Uenishi (Tokyo)
The second match took a different turn, with both players frequently opting for offense.
Heat actions sent sparks flying from the outset, and the students’ characteristic aggression and momentum fired up the venue.
There were moments when Uenishi seized the flow with his trademark calm responses, but
Husam Basam Alharbi’s explosive strikes landed at key moments, giving the Saudi team another victory.
Uenishi commented, ‘It was my first international match, so I was nervous, but it was really fun,’ and received loud applause from the venue.
Match 3
Sharman Abdulla Alzaki (Saudi Arabia)
vs
Jason (Tokyo)
The final match was an intense contest, with precise execution and mind games colliding.
Sharman Abdulla Alzaki switched between offense and defense with exceptional smoothness, carefully reading Jason’s movements.
Jason also landed accurate combos, drawing cheers from the crowd.
In the end, the winner was Sharman Abdulla Alzaki.
Even more than the result, the sight of the two sharing a firm handshake and praising each other after the match was symbolic of this exchange match.
Prince Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud on the Future of Esports
Saudi Arabia has positioned esports as a national strategy under ‘Vision 2030,’ established the Saudi Esports Federation in 2017 with Prince Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud as its chairman, and announced a national gaming and esports strategy in 2022. In July and August 2025, it hosted the ‘Esports World Cup 2025’ in the capital, Riyadh, demonstrating a nationwide focus on gaming and esports.
Full text of Prince Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud’s remarks:
Thank you to everyone who came today, and to all the players.
First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike for inviting me on this occasion.
I am truly delighted to be here today.
Whether you are simply a gamer, a young person aspiring to go pro, or someone interested in esports, today’s occasion is for all of you.
In today’s exchange match, we were able to see students from countries on opposite sides of the globe compete with passion and experience.
In esports, you do not need to speak the same language.
Esports crosses borders and connects us.
Saudi Arabia and Japan have long continued to cooperate through mutual respect, innovation, and international exchange.
And today, all of you players have taken the first step into that new era.
I believe that the fact that TEKKEN, a game born in Japan and played around the world, has today become a stage for international exchange shows the power that games possess.
The Saudi Esports Federation does not view esports as something only for professional players.
For students, it is an important place of learning where they can develop skills that will help them in the future, such as teamwork, strategic thinking, and perseverance.
Today’s matches were not only about winning and losing.
What mattered most was making the effort, learning from it, and playing while respecting one another.
All of you players have shown that there is limitless potential in your countries and in your generation.
It has been a great honor for me to be able to take part in this occasion, and I look forward to seeing you all again in the future, including at the World Cup in Riyadh.
Thank you very much.
Prince Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud also said that esports is a culture open to everyone and a valuable bridge for international exchange. He also said that it cultivates skills that support the future, such as teamwork, strategic thinking, and perseverance, and expressed high hopes for the younger generation.
The Future We Aim for Through Esports
This student international exchange match showed young people in Tokyo and Saudi Arabia respecting one another and ‘placing greater value on learning and understanding than on winning and losing’.
The ability to interact across barriers such as physical conditions, economic circumstances, and language is one of esports’ unique strengths.
As reflected in Prince Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud’s message, the event strongly conveyed that esports can open up great possibilities for young people who will shape the future. Moreover, Prince Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud’s words that ‘esports crosses borders and has the power to connect people’ deeply resonate with ePARA’s philosophy of promoting barrier-free esports in which diverse players, including people with disabilities and those living with intractable illnesses, can participate.
Barrier-Free Esports as a Bridge Between Japan and the Middle East
On September 24, 2025, at the “Japan-Saudi EXPO Investment Forum” held at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Hawk Gaming Group and ePARA signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding). Through this strategic partnership, Hawk Gaming Group aims, as ePARA’s global partner, to expand Japan’s barrier-free esports initiatives on a global scale, far beyond the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The overseas exchange project held as part of “Tokyo eSports Festa 2026” was a strong first step toward creating opportunities for exchange across borders through esports. Building on this success, Hawk Gaming Group and ePARA will continue their collaboration and promote global initiatives that can bring smiles to many people regardless of age, gender, time, place, or disability.
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