savvy gaming group

Savvy Gaming Group (SGG) is a Saudi Arabian Government-backed investment company. It simultaneously acquired ESL Gaming (ESL) and FACEIT, merging the entities to form ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) in January 2022. This was one of the largest esports deals in history and combines the two largest esports tournament operators globally. SGG reportedly paid USD 1 billion for ESL and USD 500 million for FACEIT. The acquisition is expected to close in Q2 2022. The merged entity will be led by a mix of ESL and FACEIT management. Craig Levine (CEO, ESL) and Niccolo Maisto (CEO, FACEIT) will serve as co-CEOs, while ESL co-founder Ralf Reicher will be executive chairman. 

ESL Gaming is the holding company of the Electronic Sports League (esports tournament organizer) and DreamHack (esports production company), which merged in September 2020. The company is known for esports events such as ESL One, Intel Extreme Masters, the ESL Pro Tour, and ESL Play. FaceIT is a UK-based esports startup known for operating the Esports Championship Series and hosting the 2018 London Major in CS:GO.