General – ESL https://esl.com Feel the passion for esports Thu, 27 Jun 2024 12:57:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5 https://esl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ESL-Favicon-green-512-150x150.png General – ESL https://esl.com 32 32 ESL FACEIT Group and Qiddiya City Partner to Drive Esports Evolution with Five-Year Partnership https://esl.com/article/esl-faceit-group-and-qiddiya-city-partner-to-drive-esports-evolution-with-five-year-partnership/ Mon, 08 Apr 2024 13:29:44 +0000 https://esl.com/?p=31563

Through the partnership, we will engage our worldwide fanbase of 225 million gamers, inviting them to share their vision and help shape the future global Gaming & Esports District in Qiddiya City. 

We will lean on creative technology to develop immersive experiences, in-game missions, and stage takeovers during its circuit of global events to inspire fans, players, and partners to help define the future of play at the Qiddiya City Gaming & Esports District. 

Gamers and fans will have exclusive access to new developments in the District during DreamHack festivals, ESL and IEM competitions, and on EFG’s digital esports platform, FACEIT. This includes both top-tier and amateur circuits across ESL Counter-Strike Pro Tour, ESL Challenger, ESL Impact, ESL Dota 2 Pro Tour, DreamHack festivals, and more over the 5-year partnership. 

The partnership is part of EFG and Qiddiya’s joint commitment to support the sustainable growth of the esports industry through building pipelines of multigenerational fandom in the world’s most promising markets, notably the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

Abdullah Aldawood, Managing Director of Qiddiya Investment Company, said: “As a global Capital of Play, Qiddiya City will host a critical component of Saudi Arabia’s National Gaming and Esports Strategy, and help power the next generation of esports. Our partnership with ESL FACEIT Group ensures that players, fans, and creators worldwide will play a central role in building this unprecedented hub of entertainment and innovation. We will be setting a new benchmark for fan experiences in parallel with athlete and talent development.”

Craig Levine, Co-CEO of ESL FACEIT Group, said: “Qiddiya is a city built for and inspired by the global esports and gaming community in one of the industry’s fastest-growing markets. As a pioneering global destination for gaming and esports, Qiddiya City will grow and develop in collaboration with the community, an important cornerstone for a more sustainable future. We’re confident and honored that EFG’s decades of experience will create value for the city’s scalable, fan-first vision.”

Qiddiya City’s Gaming & Esports District will be the world’s first mix-use gaming and esports district — an unrivaled investment in building a gaming utopia. Not only will the district become an epicenter for esports fandom and the development of professional gamers, but it will also serve as regional headquarters for leading video game companies and esports organizations. 

Built to reflect the interests and ideals of gamers, the Qiddiya Gaming & Esports District will cover 500,000 square meters of gaming space, housing cutting-edge esports facilities that introduce new ways to watch, train and play. With EFG’s active consultation, these facilities will provide the lowest latency technology infrastructure in the world, ideal for supporting the previously-announced Esports Bootcamp pre-competition training centers, as well as sports science performance labs and high-end tech incubators to spur gaming innovation.  

Together, Qiddiya City and EFG affirm their joint commitment to supporting the esports industry’s sustainable growth by building multigenerational fandom pipelines in the world’s most promising markets, notably the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. 

Franck Guignery, SVP Middle East and Africa of ESL FACEIT Group, said: “The growth of gaming in the Kingdom has transformed its young and progressive esports scene into a powerhouse that will fuel the global community. This partnership brings us parity that pushes the landscape forward through compelling narratives and must-watch global events. Together with Qiddiya, we’re inviting the community to own and shape the future home of esports and gaming and create a positive impact in the industry.”

We kick off our partership this week at IEM Chengdu! To learn more about Qiddiya City, visit qiddiya.com. For more information on ESL FACEIT Group, check out eslfaceitgroup.com and follow EFG on LinkedIn.


]]> An update on the ESL National Championships https://esl.com/article/an-update-on-the-esl-national-championships/ Fri, 15 Sep 2023 06:50:08 +0000 https://esl.com/?p=30306 National-based competition helped lay the foundation of esports as we know it today. 

Over 20 years ago, when esports was still in its infancy and we were a tournament organizer active in only a handful of countries, we believed that we could grow successful ecosystems with a core of national-based competition which led to us creating the ESL National Championship program. 

While esports has matured over the years, we’ve seen it develop in a different direction as it has grown to become a borderless sport where teams often gravitate towards players of all nationalities.

For years we have been cultivating two parallel ecosystems for CS: the nation-based one similar to traditional sports leagues and the borderless system based on pan-regional online tournaments.

It ultimately took a toll on our ability to focus and created a number of compatibility issues across different ESL Pro Tour properties. Over time, it became increasingly apparent that the borderless system is a much more dynamic and flexible foundation for the EPT and a better pathway for aspiring teams and players to climb up the ladder.

Therefore with the launch of Counter-Strike 2, we will be closing our ESL National Championship program. Benelux, France, Spain, and Turkey will not operate their final season this year, while Australia & New Zealand, Brazil, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom & Ireland will play a final season in 2023 before stopping in 2024.

There is still room for regional and national competitions, but it will not be an active focus of ours. We are open to engaging with third-party tournaments in order to cater to players and teams that were used to and want to continue competing in national leagues.

Furthermore, Polish and German teams will continue to have the opportunity to represent their countries at the IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne Championships, respectively.

We have already begun reaching out to affected teams to guide them toward alternative opportunities, but if you haven’t been reached out to yet, please contact us at nationalchampionships@efg.gg.

]]> ESL and Spotify renew partnership https://esl.com/article/esl-and-spotify-renew-partnership/ Thu, 29 Jun 2023 10:00:00 +0000 https://esl.com/?p=30130 ESL, a part of the ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), the leading esports and video game entertainment company, and Spotify, the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service of its kind, are excited to announce the renewal of their partnership. The renewal focuses on Counter-Strike content as it continues to provide the esports community with simple and reliable access to their favorite audio experiences. 

Read the full press release

]]> Find all ESL live streams on Twitch and YouTube https://esl.com/article/find-all-esl-live-streams-on-twitch-and-youtube/ Tue, 31 Jan 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://esl.com/?p=29634 ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), the leading competitive games and esports company, has today announced the expansion of its viewing experience for fans everywhere making its content available on leading video and streaming services Twitch and YouTube.

The non-exclusive distribution of content that is set to be broadcasted across EFG’s world-renowned ESL, FACEIT, DreamHack, and DreamHack Sports Games brands, will reach and engage with more fans around the globe. It is thereby benefiting and growing the esports community and aids in the company’s vision to create worlds beyond gameplay where players and fans become community.

The Twitch and YouTube live broadcasts of EFG’s properties include:

]]> Racing Released: Presenting ESL R1 https://esl.com/article/racing-released-presenting-esl-r1/ Mon, 23 Jan 2023 11:16:23 +0000 https://esl.com/?p=29385 ESL and RENNSPORT have teamed up and proudly present ESL R1 – Racing Released. ESL R1 is the home for heroes, the pinnacle of speed and skill. We are racers at heart and gamers in mind. Passionate. Competitive. And proud of our virtual racing heritage.

By fusing  racing culture into the digital age to give you a  virtual racing experience unlike anything you have seen before. With the community as top priority, ESL R1 is giving fans the chance to impact it all.

More on ESLR1.com
]]> Statement on Ukraine https://esl.com/article/statement-ukraine-4457/ https://esl.com/article/statement-ukraine-4457/#respond Wed, 02 Mar 2022 16:22:12 +0000 https://esl.com/blog/2022/03/statement-on-ukraine/ We are all shocked and saddened by the Russian invasion into Ukraine and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution. After monitoring the situation, we are now putting an initial set of actions in place.

]]> We are all shocked and saddened by the Russian invasion into Ukraine and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution. After monitoring the situation, we are now putting an initial set of actions in place.

Together with our partners and employees, we are currently working on actions to support the people suffering from the current tragedy with donations to UNHCR, paid time off for employees to volunteer for humanitarian relief and paid time off for affected colleagues.

On the upcoming ESL Pro League, we made the decision that organizations with apparent ties to the Russian government, including individuals or organizations under alleged or confirmed EU sanctions related to the conflict, will not be allowed to be represented (currently we identified two teams – Virtus.pro and Gambit).

We recognize that players are not complicit with this situation, and we do not think it is in the spirit of esports to impose sanctions on individual players. The Virtus.pro and Gambit players are therefore welcome to compete under a neutral name, without representing their country, organization or their teams’ sponsors on their clothing or otherwise.

Furthermore, out of respect for the situation, we decided to pause all scheduled competitions in the CIS region and they can be played at a later point in time.

We will monitor and evaluate future competitions and make further decisions as the situation evolves.

]]> https://esl.com/article/statement-ukraine-4457/feed/ 0 ESL Gaming offsets carbon footprint to become a United Nations certified CO2 neutral company https://esl.com/article/esl-gaming-offsets-carbon-footprint-to-become-a-united-nations-certified-co2-neutral-company/ https://esl.com/article/esl-gaming-offsets-carbon-footprint-to-become-a-united-nations-certified-co2-neutral-company/#respond Wed, 09 Feb 2022 08:04:04 +0000 https://esl.com/blog/2022/02/esl-gaming-offsets-carbon-footprint-to-become-a-united-nations-certified-co2-neutral-company/ The environment is an essential question to all, so also to us at ESL Gaming. As the world’s leading esports company, we find ourselves in a unique position to positively impact our industry regarding the environment through our overall CSR strategy and particular initiatives. It is, therefore, with great pleasure that we’re able to say that ESL Gaming is now a CO2 neutral company, calculated by Planted and offset via United Nation Certificates.

]]> The environment is an essential question to all, so also to us at ESL Gaming. As the world’s leading esports company, we find ourselves in a unique position to positively impact our industry regarding the environment through our overall CSR strategy and particular initiatives. It is, therefore, with great pleasure that we’re able to say that ESL Gaming is now a CO2 neutral company, calculated by Planted and offset via United Nation Certificates.

We are very proud to recently have received an official Voluntary Cancellation Certificate from the United Nations (UN). Being verified as a carbon neutral company, we are committed to offsetting and reducing our environmental impact as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy.

ESL Gaming has actively been tracking, documenting and calculating its CO2 emission since 2018, using software provided by Position Green. This detailed tracking and breakdown of our footprint allows for transparency and forms a stepping stone to lower our emission in the years to come. While the offsetting is very important, our main priority is to lower our environmental impact through tracking, internal policies and processes as well as aggressive goals.

 

Following the tracking, the amount registered is independently verified by Planted, and, once reconfirmed, the amount of CO2 is offset via climate protection projects certified by the UN. For 2020, ESL Gaming has financially supported a project to generate green energy. The process of tracking, verifying and offsetting will be repeated every year.

We attract an audience that deeply cares about environmental and social issues through our prominent, impactful and loved esports and gaming events worldwide. By taking this step, we’re seriously considering our environmental impact and actively taking responsibility for the future of our employees, community and fans.

For more information about offsetting CO2 emissions, please visit the UN website offset.climateneutralnow.org.

Stay tuned for more details about our other and future CSR initiatives and how you can get involved.

]]> https://esl.com/article/esl-gaming-offsets-carbon-footprint-to-become-a-united-nations-certified-co2-neutral-company/feed/ 0 ESL & FACEIT are teaming up https://esl.com/article/esl-faceit-are-teaming-up/ https://esl.com/article/esl-faceit-are-teaming-up/#respond Thu, 27 Jan 2022 11:42:39 +0000 https://esl.com/blog/2022/01/esl-faceit-are-teaming-up/ Competitive gaming is about starting your own path, challenging your game, and aiming to become a World Champion one day. This is at the core of what ESL and FACEIT have been building over the last twenty years, and now we are teaming up.

]]> Competitive gaming is about starting your own path, challenging your game, and aiming to become a World Champion one day. This is at the core of what ESL and FACEIT have been building over the last twenty years, and now we are teaming up.

We are excited to share the news of the merger between ESL and FACEIT that will elevate the landscape of esports with the help of our new investors, Savvy Gaming Group.* If you’d like to know more about the ESL FACEIT Group, please see our press release here.

For years, both companies have been developing projects independently in esports. Today we are teaming up to create more integrated, accessible and sustainable ecosystems for fans, players and teams of multiple games.

Our brands (FACEIT, DreamHack, ESL, ESEA, and Badlion) will continue operating as before. Each in its own style. You can still grind on FACEIT and FPL, rank up on ESEA Leagues, watch great matches play out at IEM Katowice, and be part of the gaming community at DreamHack festivals.

By working together within the same group, we are in a better position to make long term investments and create strong synergies across multiple products to support the development of competitive gaming.

Principles and Directions

As our teams come together, we would like to share the direction we want to take across games.

  • Show players their “path to pro” and the progress they make. Discover rising stars. We will expand our offering of online competitions and integrate them directly into the professional team circuits. Our focus will be on developing strong coaching and learning programs at the amateur level while simultaneously using our professional esports broadcasts to elevate and tell the stories of up-and-coming teams and players.
  • Support more players, in more regions. Help grassroots development and local scenes take their place in a global community. In order to allow for true global competition, we are mixing online play with amateur and professional LAN events to build a stable grassroots level. Independent tournament organizers will be supported in building their local competitions and global representation.
  • Further develop our tools and technology to give everyone access to smooth and fair competitive environments. Competition is only legitimized through equal and fair experiences for all players. We will continue to aggressively develop our server infrastructure, tournament tools, and anti-cheat solutions across multiple games to provide a level playing field. This technology will continue to be accessible to everyone for free.

 

First things first

We are already hard at work on some of the immediate initiatives. Check out the following links for a first glimpse of our first programs in CS:GO, a community we’re deeply rooted in. This list will continue to grow – and more games will be covered.

Thank you for being a part of the esports journey. You: The players, fans and colleagues bring all of this to life.

GLHF,

Your ESL & FACEIT Team

 

* The approval process is expected to close in Q2 2022, pending regulatory approval.

]]> https://esl.com/article/esl-faceit-are-teaming-up/feed/ 0 IEM Winter 2021 closes the year with a dominant victory for Team Vitality https://esl.com/article/iem-winter-2021-closes-the-year-with-a-dominant-victory-for-team-vitality/ https://esl.com/article/iem-winter-2021-closes-the-year-with-a-dominant-victory-for-team-vitality/#respond Tue, 21 Dec 2021 13:16:57 +0000 https://esl.com/blog/2021/12/iem-winter-2021-closes-the-year-with-a-dominant-victory-for-team-vitality/ ESL’s calendar for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 2021 rounds off with Intel® Extreme Masters Winter, in Stockholm, Sweden. In Sunday’s grand final, the French powerhouse Team Vitality defeated the Swedes Ninjas in Pyjamas in a Bo5 round robin with a swift 3-0 victory, taking home their stake of the USD 250,000 prize money.

 

]]> ESL’s calendar for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 2021 rounds off with Intel® Extreme Masters Winter, in Stockholm, Sweden. In Sunday’s grand final, the French powerhouse Team Vitality defeated the Swedes Ninjas in Pyjamas in a Bo5 round robin with a swift 3-0 victory, taking home their stake of the USD 250,000 prize money.

With IEM Winter 2021 marking the first ESL Pro Tour Masters Level tournament Intel® Grand Slam IV, Team Vitality now leads the race towards the USD 1M prize. As this year’s IEM Winter edition was the last EPT Masters tournament contributing points for the ESL Pro Tour Championship, IEM Katowice 2022 kicking off on February 15th, teams also fought for their shot to make it to one of the most prestigious competitions in CS:GO worldwide.

Throughout 2021 we have seen many teams pick up a trophy on the ESL Pro Tour Circuit and the final tournament saw another victor in Team Vitality. Now we look onto another full calendar year of CS:GO tournaments.

We can’t wait to get started and get another great year of CS on the road!

For all updates follow us on our social media accounts!

Twitter – Facebook – Instagram

]]> https://esl.com/article/iem-winter-2021-closes-the-year-with-a-dominant-victory-for-team-vitality/feed/ 0 ESL PUBG Open: Winter is coming! https://esl.com/article/esl-pubg-open-winter-is-coming/ https://esl.com/article/esl-pubg-open-winter-is-coming/#respond Thu, 16 Dec 2021 13:05:14 +0000 https://esl.com/blog/2021/12/esl-pubg-open-winter-is-coming/ At the end of November we will get things rolling again with ESL PUBG Open as we have the qualifiers for Open: Winter starting November 22nd! The full tournament will take place in the first two weekends of December to round off the year of ESL PUBG and once again there is $2,000 up for grabs!

]]> At the end of November we will get things rolling again with ESL PUBG Open as we have the qualifiers for Open: Winter starting November 22nd! The full tournament will take place in the first two weekends of December to round off the year of ESL PUBG and once again there is $2,000 up for grabs!

The full dates for all the stages is as follows:
Qualifiers: November 22, 23 & 24
Upper Bracket: December 6
Lower Bracket: December 7 & 8
Grand Finals: December 13 & 14

Format
As with ESL PUBG Open: Fall we’ll be continuing to use the SUPER Point Rule following the changes to the scoring system announced in September by PUBG Esports.

Registration
Are you looking to make a name in the PUBG scene, this is the right place for you! Gather a squad and get your feet wet in the competitive scene!

Registration for ESL PUBG Open: Winter is open and as mentioned above the qualifiers start in two weeks later on November 22nd running until the 24th.

You can sign up with the following link: https://esl.gg/open-winter-qualifiers

For any and all updates regarding ESL PUBG Open and any subsequent events follow our social media channels!
Twitter – Facebook – Instagram

]]> https://esl.com/article/esl-pubg-open-winter-is-coming/feed/ 0