By Sagar V. Mankar ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), a renowned esports company and tournament organizer, has signed a multi-year partnership with the Esports World Cup (EWC).
The Esports World Cup in Riyadh is a massive ongoing event, featuring 22 competitions with a combined prize pool of $60 million. The tournament is currently in its sixth week and is scheduled to conclude on August 25th.
This new collaboration marks ESL FACEIT Group as the official operating partner for the Esports World Cup.
As the official operating partner of the Esports World Cup, ESL FACEIT Group will be responsible for two crucial aspects:
- Tournament operations
- Broadcast programming
Additionally, the ESL FACEIT Group has been actively involved with this year’s event. They have organized global qualifiers in North and South America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East for the Esports World Cup before so that the best talents get a spot in the first tournament.
According to an official release, ESL FACEIT Group will continue to act as a qualifier by integrating games from the Esports World Cup into its own tournaments, including ESL and DreamHack competitions, as well as the FACEIT tournament platform.
This makes ESL FACEIT, join the list of international brands who are supporting or sponsoring the Saudi-backed Esports event. This includes LG, Amazon, Sony, TikTok, Pepsi, and others, highlighting its global appeal for esports.
ESL FACEIT Group’s parent company, Savvy Games Group, is also backed by the Saudi Arabian government through the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which was established in 2021. Initially, ESL and FACEIT were individually acquired by Savvy Games Group and subsequently merged into a single entity in 2022.
For ESL FACEIT Group, this partnership represents a significant step in their expansion within the Middle East. In June, they inaugurated a broadcast hub in Riyadh, which hosted the Overwatch Champions Series DreamHack Dallas Major from May 31st to June 2nd. Furthermore, in April, they secured a five-year agreement with Saudi Arabian entertainment megaproject Qiddiya City to develop experiences within the city’s dedicated gaming and esports district.
Craig Levine, Co-CEO of ESL FACEIT Group, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating:
“The Esports World Cup is one of the most ambitious new global esports events to ever take place. It’s a historic step forward for esports’ global growth, and the results so far are a testament to the collaboration of both teams, our deep-rooted relationships with industry stakeholders, and our unrivaled understanding of how gamers celebrate esports.”
Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. also expressed his opinion on the partnership, stating:
“The Esports World Cup is delivering premier competition at a scale never seen before, giving 3.4 billion gaming fans around the globe a true spectacle, providing players with life-changing prize money and crowning the first Club Champion. EFG’s operational excellence and industry-leading experience have been invaluable as we execute this world-first event, and we’re excited to lean on our multi-year partnership as we look to expand Esports World Cup programming and accelerate the industry’s growth.”
For more information, visit the press release by ESL FACEIT. And remember to subscribe to Gaming Foodle for more news!