Esports tournament organiser ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has appointed Adam Apicella as Senior Vice President of Esports for North America.
Apicella was previously President and Co-founder of Esports Engine, a company offering whitelabel tournament production. Esports Engine was a subsidiary of Vindex, which was acquired by EFG in 2023.
Prior to founding the company, Apicella was also Vice President of League and Event Operations at Blizzard Entertainment and has over two decades of experience in tournament production and organisation, ranging from strategy to hands-on operation and planning of large-scale events.
Apicella, via LinkedIn, commented: “After 20+ years as a peer, I’m excited to share that I’m joining ESL FACEIT Group – EFG.
“Thank you to Craig Levine, Niccolo Maisto, and Sebastian Weishaar for the opportunity to join the team and continue our shared ambition of building the gaming and esports space for our communities and customers. GGs.”
ESL FACEIT Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Savvy Games Group, a company owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and is currently one of the biggest tournament organisers in the world. Currently, ESL runs tournament circuits in games such as Counter-Strike, Overwatch and Dota 2.
ESL FACEIT Group recently secured a multi-year deal with the Esports World Cup Foundation to become the official operating partner of the EWC. Moreover, the company has become a part of the Saudi Arabian entertainment megaproject Qiddiya City and opened a broadcast hub in Riyadh to establish its presence in the MENA region.
Earlier last month, ESL FACEIT Group was also announced as the presenting partner of the 2024 ESIC Global Esports Summit, an event organised by the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) to gather industry professionals from all around the world.