ESL FACEIT teams up with Bayes Esports as their sole data partner
Bayes Esports has recently announced a new strategic match data partnership with ESL FACEIT Group (EFG). Both entities have agreed on this two-year data deal that will be active till 2025. As part of this agreement, Bayes Esports will be the sole match data provider for several EFG-hosted events that include the ESL Pro Tour and ESL Impact events. In addition, Bayes Esports will provide match data for EFG’s Dota 2 properties.
Bayes Esports is set to become the sole data provider for ESL events. Representative image.
©Florian Olivo/Unsplash
Bayes Esports is the global leader in esports data. The Berlin-based entity boasts an ecosystem comprising more than 450 data consumers from various sectors like media, service providers, betting operators, and more. Bayes Esports provides the data through its own data platform, BEDEX, to all its clients, which powers top brands like Google and Bet365 with over 10,000 live matches every year. Their new client, ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) is one of the leading competitive games and esports companies in the world. The company was formed after the merger between ESL and FACEIT in the second quarter of 2022. Besides ESL and FACEIT, DreamHack and DreamHack Sports Games brands are also part of EFG.
EFG’s team of developers, publishers, brands, and media partners are responsible for delivering products that contribute to the global gaming culture and strengthen the entire gaming community. The partnership will make Bayes Esports responsible for providing exclusive match data for multiple esports events and tournaments hosted by EFG. This will include the ESL Pro Tour in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) competitions as well as the ESL Impact and FACEIT Collegiate tournaments of the same. The German data provider will also provide exclusive data for EFG’s Dota 2 tournaments. Dota 2 is a multiplayer online battle arena game by Valve. ESL announced the schedule for the next Dota 2 tournament (ESL One Dota 2 Major) in Berlin. The tournament will commence on April 26, 2023, and conclude on May 7, 2023.
This will not be the first collaboration between the two entities as Bayes Esports and EFG have previously collaborated to build infrastructure for match data that can help esports reach its full potential. After positive results in the previous collaboration, both parties were confident to expand their partnership further. Bayes Esports provides state-of-the-art technology to the esports data industry, while EFG is one of the world’s leading providers of competitive games and esports. The strategic partnership is set to benefit both entities the same way it did when they first collaborated on the previous requirements.
The first move after the deal’s agreement for both companies will be to create a team designated to shape the data-driven space of content creation. Bayes Esports’ existing technological product portfolio will be made accessible for EFG. In addition to that, the premium integrity market monitoring and rightsholder protection of Bayes Esports will be utilized to safeguard the integrity of esports. Furthermore, new data-driven brand integrations provided by Bayes Esports will be used in live broadcast segments. Both entities will be working on several solutions for media and fans, one of which is the development of an innovative tool called Project V, which creates highlight clips that can be used on social media after synchronizing data and videos.
After confirming the strategic partnership with EFG, the CEO and Managing Director of Bayes Esports, Martin Dachselt, spoke about it and expressed how significant this move was for both entities.
“What a tremendous start we have had to 2023. To be able to make some many impactful announcements, one of which being this absolutely momentous partnership with EFG, is incredible. Besides being a great sign for us that shows that we are on the right track and that what we are doing is catching on with the industry’s most important players, it’s also a clear statement towards the gray market of the esports data industry. With the leader in competitive games and esports and data from over 12.000 matches by our side, we can move forward and continue to shape esports around official data, ensure the integrity of its biggest events and give those that hurt the long-term development of this industry through improper offerings no quarter.”
The Saudi-powered merger
EFG is a conglomerate comprising multiple entities that used to operate individually in the past. The entities powering EFG are ESL, FACEIT and DreamHack and DreamHack Sports Games. ESL was previously owned by Modern Times Group (MTG). In January last year, the Savvy Gaming Group (SGG), which had already taken over FACEIT, acquired ESL in a deal that was reportedly worth $1.5 billion. This move saw the ownership of Cologne-based ESL transfer from Sweden-based MTG to Saudi-based SGG. Soon after the acquisition, the merger between ESL and FACEIT was confirmed and completed in the second quarter of 2022.
The merge was labeled by several media outlets as a mega-deal involving two leading entities of their own respective sectors. SGG initiated the merger with an aim to shape the future of competitive gaming under the name ESL FACEIT Group (EFG). After the merger, ESL’s building, broadcasting, and commercializing expertise of premium esports ecosystems coupled with FACEIT’s state-of-the-art development tools for competitive games helped EFG deliver an efficient end-to-end solution for the budding esports ecosystem and for competitive gaming communities globally.
Bayes Esports continues to strengthen its team
Earlier this month, Bayes Esports announced the arrival of betting and esports expert, Marco Blume, as the entity’s new Strategic Advisor. The former Trading Director of Pinnacle brings with him extensive experience spanning over 15 years in the betting industry.
At Bayes Esports, Blume’s responsibilities will primarily include his advisory on products and strategies. Additionally, he will also look at commercialization, go-to-market, and strategize the expansion decisions of Bayes Esports. Blume’s former company, Pinnacle, was one of the first sportsbooks worldwide to treat esports as a top-tier sport.
