Each month, Esports Insider compiles a list of the most prominent esports movers and shakers of that month. Unfortunately, we saw layoffs again last month, but there were also some unique and interesting moves on the personnel front in July.
Brazilian esports organisation FURIA announced the signing of a new player via a Times Square billboard, Juked’s Co-Founder joined GGWP, Esports Engine sadly laid off more than 60 people and X7 Esports’ Founder joined esports talent agency DotX Talent.
Here are the top movers and shakers for July 2023. If you are interested in a story, click the link in the corresponding title.
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Esports production company Esports Engine has laid off 65 employees, according to social media posts by affected workers. Many laid-off employees who spoke publicly on social media said the job losses came suddenly and they were an unforeseen shock.
Esports Engine offers whitelabel tournament production and has produced some of the biggest esports tournaments and leagues, including the Call of Duty League, Overwatch League, Apex Legends Global Series, the Fortnite World Cup, and many more.
The news comes just months after Esports Engine’s parent company, Vindex, was acquired by ESL FACEIT Group in a deal that further consolidated the Group’s dominant market share in esports tournament production. ESL FACEIT Group owns ESL Gaming, FACEIT, DreamHack, and Vindex.
Upcoming football video game GOALS has announced the appointment of two senior executives from the gaming industry. Ebba Ljungerud and Oskar Gabrielson have both joined the leadership team of the company by taking seats on the company’s Board.
Gabrielson has joined as an Executive Board Member, per his LinkedIn profile. Ljungerud’s position was not specified, though the company noted that she had also joined as a Board member.
GOALS is an upcoming football video game being developed by the eponymous GOALS studio, founded by SK Gaming’s co-founder Andreas Thorstensson. The game looks to compete with the likes of FIFA and eFootball, but will also incorporate blockchain technology.
Former X7 Esports Founder and CEO Josh Kingett has joined esports and gaming agency DotX Talent.
Kingett joins as DotX Talent’s Head of Esports, where he will manage the agency’s esports operations. This includes scouting and signing players, working with coaches and other support staff, and brokering deals with teams across Europe and beyond.
Founded in 2022 by sports law firm Morgan Sports Law, DotX Talent’s list of clientele includes the likes of LEC caster Marc ‘Caedrel’ Lamont, ex-CDL player Thomas ‘Tommey’ Trewen and esports host Sam ‘Tech Girl’ Wright.
Ben Goldhaber, the former Co-Founder and CEO of esports social media Juked, has joined game moderation platform GGWP to assist with its marketing efforts.
The appointment follows the news that GGWP will provide free access to its moderation tools for developers. Earlier this week, the company raised $10m (~£7.77m) for its AI-based moderation platform. Some of GGWP’s investors other include the likes of BITKRAFT Ventures, Riot Games, Makers Fund and Griffin Gaming Partners.
North American esports and gaming company GameSquare Esports has named Lou Schwartz as its new Board Chairman.
Prior to this role, Schwartz served as both a board member and the President of the company. His tenure officially commenced on July 7th. Throughout his career, Schwartz has primarily focused on strategy, marketing, product, and finance development within both developed and emerging markets.
Schwartz succeeds Tom Rogers, who will transition to a regular member of GameSquare’s Board of Directors. Apart from his involvement with GameSquare, Rogers is known for his contributions to business news coverage on a global scale, notably with the creation of CNBC and MSNBC.
British esports organisation Guild Esports has announced the appointment of Stephen Duval as the newest advisor to its Board of Directors.
Guild Esports said Duval would advise the esports organisation on financial topics, drawing from his experience in venture capital and sports, though the company did not share any further specific details about what he would advise on.
Duval is also one of the founders of 23 Capital, a venture capital company focused on sports and entertainment. The company has worked with sports clubs in the Premier League, the NBA, NFL and other leagues.
Brazilian esports organisation FURIA announced the signing of its newest CS:GO player, Brazilian star Gabriel ‘FalleN’ Toledo, by renting a large billboard in Times Square in New York, USA.
The announcement is an expensive first-of-its-kind, given the fact that organisations usually announce players via social media channels, and represents a sizeable purchase by the organisation.
Gaming companies such as Epic Games have advertised extensively in Times Square in the past, though this is certainly the first time an esports team has decided to advertise a new player signing in this way.
