About ESL
ESL is a Media & Entertainment company based in Koln (Germany) founded in 1995, and was acquired by Savvy Games Group in January 2022. It operates as an esports tournaments and apparel are organized and provided by ESL. The company has 141 employees. Its chief executive is Craig Levine. Its website esl.com draws about 264 thousand monthly visits. Its focus areas include Services for Gaming.
Company details
ESL was founded in 1995 in Cologne, Germany, and operates within the esports sector. Tournaments are organized and produced to facilitate competitive gaming platforms. Limited-edition apparel is designed and sold, often through collaborations with designers, targeting players and fans. Operations focus on esports events and related merchandise, with a presence centered in Europe.
- Headquarters Koln, Germany
- Employees 141
- SectorsMedia & Entertainment
- Website category Science and Education · Education
- Website esl.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook
- Acquired by Savvy Games Group (Jan 2022)
- InvestorsHuya
& 2 more
- Employee Count141
- Acquired by
Funding Insights of ESL
- Total Rounds 1
- Investors Count 1
All 1 funding rounds of ESL with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2019 | – | Unspecified | – | Huya | – |
3 investors in total: 3 institutional.
Investors in ESL
ESL has secured backing from 3 investors, including institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Huya, Modern Times Group and Savvy Games Group.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Online gameplay is streamed live via a broadcasting portal. | 2013 | huya.com | Guangzhou, China | |
eSports games are developed and published by Savvy Games Group. | 2001 | savvygames.com | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | |
Media content production and distribution services are provided globally. | 1987 | mtg.com | Stockholm, Sweden |
Investor details for ESL
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of ESL
2 people are tracked at ESL (2 in leadership); the tracked headcount is 141.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Craig Levine | CEO | Leadership |
Niccolo Maisto | CEO | Leadership |
Complete people profiles for ESL
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of ESL
4 dated milestones of ESL across 27 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded ESL is founded.
- Exit Acquired by Modern Times Group.
- Funding First funding round.
- Exit Acquired by Savvy Games Group.
Web traffic of ESL
The website of ESL (esl.com) receives about 263.7K visits a month and ranks #140,647 among all websites worldwide, #9,065 in Education.
- Monthly visits263.7K
- Unique visitors121.5K
per month
- Global rank#140,647
among all websites
- Category rank#9,065
Science and Education · Education
- Bounce rate39%
- Pages per visit3.9
- Average visit1 min 04 sec
- DevicesDesktop 45% · Mobile 55%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with ESL. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
esl-lab.com | esl-lab.com | 100% | – | #102,100 | – |
| els.edu | 99% | 51.8K | #689,403 | View details | |
a4esl.org | a4esl.org | 99% | – | #640,577 | – |
esl.about.com | esl.about.com | 99% | – | – | – |
manythings.org | manythings.org | 99% | – | #328,939 | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for ESL
The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.
- 40 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in Gaming Platforms & Ecosystem
10 companies that operate in the same segment as ESL (Gaming Platforms & Ecosystem), ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Digital entertainment, e-commerce, and financial services are provided globally. | 2006 | Singapore, Singapore, Singapore | USD 721.47 M | USD 22.94 B | 3,733 | |
Gaming hardware and accessories are developed for players. | 2005 | Irvine, California, United States | USD 126.27 M | – | 1,981 | |
Provider of cross-platform game engine technology | 1991 | Cary, North Carolina, United States | USD 8.13 B | – | 11,961 | |
VR-based head-mounted displays for gaming are provided by Oculus. | 2012 | Menlo Park, California, United States | USD 107.05 M | – | – | |
ESports social video streaming platform | 2006 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 35.12 M | – | – | |
Microsoft is recognized for software, hardware, and gaming solutions. | 1975 | Redmond, Washington, United States | – | USD 281.72 B | 228,000 | |
Blockchain-based PC and mobile games are developed and published. | 2006 | Kowloon, Hong Kong, China | USD 997.58 M | USD 101.34 M | 307 | |
Custom overlay apps for PC games are developed. | 2009 | Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv District, Israel | USD 149.74 M | – | – | |
Valve Corporation is engaged in gaming, digital distribution, and hardware development. | 1996 | Bellevue, Washington, United States | – | – | 1,855 | |
Unity is recognized as a leading real-time development platform. | 2004 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 893.5 M | USD 1.85 B | 7,102 |
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Frequently Asked Questions about ESL
ESL was founded in 1995 and raised its 1st funding round 24 years after it was founded.
ESL is headquartered in Koln, Germany. It is registered at Koln, North Rhine-westphalia, Germany.
Craig Levine is the current CEO of ESL.
ESL has 141 employees.
ESL was founded in 1995 in Cologne, Germany, and operates within the esports sector. Tournaments are organized and produced to facilitate competitive gaming platforms. Limited-edition apparel is designed and sold, often through collaborations with designers, targeting players and fans. Operations focus on esports events and related merchandise, with a presence centered in Europe.
ESL has 3 investors. Key investors include Huya, Modern Times Group, and Savvy Games Group.
Yes. ESL was acquired by Savvy Games Group in January 2022.
The website of ESL receives about 264 thousand visits a month and ranks #140,647 among all websites worldwide.