In the last days of September, ESL and DreamHack announced a merger. The company that will be created as a result of the merger will be called ESL Gaming. Prior to that, the two cybersports organizations were subsidiaries of Modern Times Group. Craig Levin and Ralph Reichert will now take over the leadership of ESL Gaming. Markus Lindmark, who previously served as the CEO of DreamHack, will take over as the company's president.
Levin commented on the creation of ESL Gaming as follows: «By maximizing collaboration and teamwork, bringing together the best creative and visionary minds in the world of eSports, together we will continue to drive innovation by creating unique products and events». ESL Gaming executives expect the merger to be positive for both eSports fans and partners. At the same time, the events that used to be held under the DreamHack brand will also continue to develop.
Another consequence of the merger of cyber sports organizations will be layoffs. This has already been confirmed by an ESL Gaming representative. He said the changes are due to the new challenges the company, like many, faced during the pandemic.
