ESL Faceit Group (EFG) has announced layoffs, with some in the UK at Esports Engine also affected by the cuts.
EFG is laying off around 15% of its global workforce, or hundreds of jobs.
Sources have since told Esports News UK a few members of staff at Esports Engine in the UK had been affected.
A handful of staff were let go from the UK team, but there are still some remaining – a source said there are about 10 full-time staff left in the UK team working on global programmes. One source said ‘the team was already small, and constantly over executing’.
Martin Wyatt said his time at Esports Engine had come to an end, in this Linkedin post:
And Matt Duff, a UK-based staff member affected by the layoffs, tweeted the following:
ESL and Faceit merged back in early 2022 under the banner of Savvy Gaming Group (SGG), which is 100% owned by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund – its government’s Public Investment Fund.
EFG co-CEOs Craig Levine and Niccolo Maisto said in a statement: “Today we are sharing a difficult decision.
“To ensure ESL Faceit Group continues to evolve in a fast-paced market, we are planning to reduce the size of our team by roughly 15%. This change is designed to support EFG’s sustainable growth ambitions and profitability.
“We understand how hard this is, especially for those who will no longer be a part of EFG. As co-CEOs, we did not make this decision lightly. We feel it’s important to take accountability for it, and provide clarity and transparency from the outset of the changes ahead.”
Craig Levine and Niccolo Maisto, EFG
“We will offer financial support on a global scale, in addition to local considerations,” the pair continued.
“Since 2021, we have merged ESL, Faceit and Vindex/EE into becoming the largest esports company in the world. With this we will continue to integrate the business and gain efficiencies in our global workforce. With the industry in constant change, we must adapt, become more efficient, and be more flexible as a team.
“These moves, along with efforts to reorient the team on EFG’s core mission and vision, will sharpen our focus and better equip us to navigate the dynamic esports and gaming landscape by removing complexity and better integration across all teams.”
Esports Engine founder Adam Apicella complimented the quality of staff at the company.
Esports News UK has contacted Esports Engine for comment.
The layoffs are the latest in a series of sweeping cuts across the esports and video games industry, following layoffs at Riot Games, Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, Unity, Discord, Twitch and more.
In other recent EFG news unrelated to the layoffs, ESL Faceit Group signed a partnership with a UK agency.
Related article: In the dark depths of esports winter, when will the light of spring emerge? Opinion piece on the job cuts and uncertainty
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Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
