Each week, ESI Digest breaks down the weekly happenings in the esports industry, making sense of things so you don’t have to. As well as being housed on YouTube, ESI Digest is available on all major podcast platforms and is also available in written form below.
This week on ESI Digest, we cover ESL Premiership’s partnerships, MTG’s leadership appointments, Redragon looking to invest in Flamengo Esports, and PUBG Mobile being banned in India.
Redragon to acquire 7.5% of Flamengo Esports from Simplicity Esports
Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company entered a letter of intent that would see Redragon obtain equity in its Brazilian subsidiary.
The deal would see Redragon acquire 7.5 percent equity stake in Simplicity One Brasil, the company behind Flamengo Esports, for $390,000 (GBP290,746.95) in cash and over $133,000 (GBP99,152.16) in additional consideration.
Mercedes-Benz continues sponsorship of ESL Premiership
ESL UK announced that German automotive giant Mercedes-Benz has renewed its sponsorship of the ESL Premiership.
The deal specifically covers the competition’s Dota 2 efforts for its upcoming season, with Mercedes-Benz serving as the official automotive supplier.
ESL Premiership announces Kappa partnership
ESL UK welcomed Italian sportswear brand Kappa as the latest sponsor of its upcoming ESL Premiership.
As per a tweet from the company, the deal will see Kappa serve as the apparel supplier for the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive portion of the competition.
ESL appoints Alexander Inglot as CS:GO Pro League commissioner
ESL appointed Alexander Inglot as the inaugural Commissioner of its ESL Pro League for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
According to a release, Inglot has been bought on board by ESL, and the 13 teams as part of the Louvre Agreement, “to drive creation of the new collaborative structure, optimise governance, and explore new revenue streams.”
Joining Inglot on the commission is Hans Jagnow, who was appointed as President of the German Esports Federation back in February. Jagnow will work alongside Inglot, serving as the Vice President of Operations.
MTG appoints Maria Redin as President and CEO, Lars Torstensson as CFO
Modern Times Group (MTG), the parent company of both ESL and DreamHack, announced a pair of new leadership appointments.
Maria Redin, currently the Group Chief Financial Officer, has been promoted to Group President and CEO effectively immediately. Lars Torstensson will take on her former duties as the new CFO.
PUBG Mobile takes hit with ban by Indian government
PUBG Mobile was banned in India by the government in a cull involving over 100 other mobile applications.
The Indian government has found a number of apps to be “prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, Defence of India, Security of State and Public Order,” including one of the most popular esports in India, PUBG Mobile.
ESI Digest is part of ESI Network, a collection of podcasts encompassing the esports industry. For deep dives into the major areas of esports with subject matter experts, check out ESI Focus. For conversations with key personnel and major stakeholders in esports, ESI Insight is the series for you.