FACEIT
 | |
| Industry | Esports |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 2012 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | , United Kingdom  |
| Owner | Savvy Games Group |
| Parent | ESL FACEIT Group |
| Website | faceit |
FACEITis anesportsplatform founded inLondonin 2012.[1]The company has administered leagues for games such asCounter-Strike 2,League of Legends,Rocket League,Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege,Dota 2andTeam Fortress 2.
In 2022, it was announced that FACEIT andesportscompanyESLwere being acquired by Savvy Games Group (SGG), a holding company owned by Saudi Arabia'sPublic Investment Fund,for a combined $1.5bn. As part of the acquisition, the two companies are set to merge and form theESLFACEIT Group.[2][3][4]
Esports Championship Series[edit]
In April 2016, FACEIT announced the launch of theirCounter-Strike: Global Offensivetournament, known as the Esports Championship Series (ECS).[5][6]In April 2017, the company partnered with the video sharing platformYouTubefor the series.[7][8][9]ECS was one of the two premier Counter-Strike leagues, along withESL Pro League.[citation needed]
The series was discontinued in 2020, replaced by a franchise-based league called Flashpoint.[10]It features 12 teams and a US$2,000,000 buy in spot, and offers co-ownership and revenue sharing to competing teams.[11]
In May 2022, FACEIT announced a multi-million dollar partnership agreement with the cryptocurrency fintech platform Cake DeFi. The agreement sees players participating in FACEIT matchups and tournaments to receive cryptocurrency rewards, with plans to pay more than half a million dollars to FACEIT users.[12]
Results[edit]
| Season | Date | Location | Champions | Prize pool | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 2016 |  London
|
 G2 Esports
|
US$945,000 | [13][14] |
| 2 | December 2016 |  Anaheim
|
 Astralis(1)
|
US$750,000 | [15][16][17] |
| 3 | June 2017 | London
|
 SK Gaming
|
[18][19][20] | |
| 4 | December 2017 |  Cancún
|
 FaZe Clan
|
[21][22][23] | |
| 5 | June 2018 | London
|
Astralis(2)
|
[24] | |
| 6 | November 2018 | Arlington
|
Astralis(3)
|
[25][26] | |
| 7 | June 2019 | London
|
Team Vitality
|
US$500,000 | [27] |
| 8 | November 2019 | Arlington
|
Astralis(4)
|
[28] |
FACEIT Major[edit]
On 22 February 2018Valve,the developers and owners of theCounter-Strike series,announced that FACEIT would host the thirteenth Global Offensive major, the FACEIT Major: London 2018. The event began in mid-September and concluded on 23 September 2018. It was the first Major hosted by FACEIT and the first Major hosted in theUnited Kingdom.[29]It had aUS$1,000,000 prize pool and the playoff stage was held inWembley Arena.[30]In the finals,AstralisdefeatedNatus Vincereto win its second Major title.
References[edit]
- ^Spangler, Todd (26 January 2016)."ESports Startup FACEIT Raises $15 Million, Opens L.A. Office".Variety.Retrieved11 April2017.
- ^Wilde, Tyler (25 January 2022)."Major esports host ESL Gaming is now owned by Saudi Arabia".PC Gamer.Retrieved25 January2022.
- ^Jeffrey, Rousseau (24 January 2022)."Savvy Gaming Group purchases ESL Gaming and FaceIt".GamesIndustry.biz.Retrieved25 January2022.
- ^"ESL and FACEIT merge to create the world's leading competitive gaming platform".ESL FACEIT Group.Retrieved2 March2023.
- ^Wembley, The SSE Arena."Esports Championship Series | The SSE Arena, Wembley".ssearena.co.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 12 April 2017.Retrieved11 April2017.
- ^"FACEIT announces $3.5million league".HLTV.org.Retrieved10 April2017.
- ^"YouTube has made its biggest eSports investment yet".Business Insider.Retrieved11 April2017.
- ^Tharakan, Anya George (17 March 2017)."YouTube makes its biggest esports bet with FACEIT streaming deal"– via The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^"How do you deal with CS:GO gambling? Legitimize it".2017.
- ^Webster, Andrew (5 February 2020)."CS:GO's new team-owned league points to a different future for esports".The Verge.Retrieved5 February2020.
- ^"FACEIT to shut down ECS and focus on B Site league - Report".HLTV.org.Retrieved2 February2020.
- ^"FACEIT secures 'multi-million dollar' partnership with Cake DeFi".Esports Insider.6 May 2022.Retrieved9 May2022.
- ^"Sources: G2 nearing deal to acquire Jankos".ESPN.Retrieved16 May2018.
- ^"ECS Season 2: 'If you are not evolving every single show, then you are going to fail'".ESPN.Retrieved16 May2018.
- ^Cooke, Sam (12 December 2016)."Astralis win ECS Season 2 Finals".Esports Insider.Retrieved11 April2017.
- ^"Teams expected to look sharper at IEM Sydney".ESPN.Retrieved16 May2018.
- ^"ECS Season 2 Finals".HLTV.org.Retrieved16 May2018.
- ^"ECS launches Season 3".HLTV.org.Retrieved10 April2017.
- ^"Who is the best eSports player of the month?".Red Bull.Retrieved16 May2018.
- ^"ECS Season 3 - Group drawns and schedule announcement".Retrieved16 May2018.
- ^"ECS Season 4 Finals — Faze win the Grand Final over Mousesports".Fragbite.Retrieved16 May2018.
- ^"FaZe has built an unbelievable CS team".Red Bull.Retrieved16 May2018.
- ^Cooke, Sam (18 December 2017)."FaZe Clan take home $250,000 after winning ECS Season 4".Esports Insider.Retrieved16 May2018.
- ^Fitch, Adam (20 March 2018)."ECS and YouTube to offer viewing incentives for Season 5".Esports Insider.Retrieved16 May2018.
- ^"Astralis beat MIBR to win ECS Season 6".HLTV.org.Retrieved25 November2018.
- ^"ECS Season 6 Finals Schedule, Live Stream, How to Watch".DBLTAP.Retrieved25 November2018.
- ^"Vitality outclass FURIA to win ECS S7 Finals".HLTV.org.Retrieved8 August2019.
- ^"ASTRALIS BEAT LIQUID TO WIN ECS SEASON 8 FINALS".HLTV.org.Retrieved8 December2019.
- ^Mira, Luis (22 February 2018)."FACEIT to host next Major in London".HLTV.org.Retrieved27 April2018.
- ^Stubbs, Mike (22 February 2018)."FACEIT Brings $1 Million 'CS:GO' Major To Wembley In London".Forbes.Retrieved27 April2018.