International tournament organizer ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) and esports data company GRID announced a multi-year data distribution partnership on Wednesday.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Under the terms of this new deal, GRID has been named the “exclusive distributor, infrastructure, and integrity partner of live esports data” for all EFG-operated Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 competitions, including Intel Extreme Masters (IEM), ESL Pro League, and ESL One. EFG will use the company’s technology to manage live data capture and distribution for its events. GRID will also provide audio-video feeds (A/V) and data-powered visualizations to betting and media.
The partnership officially kicks off at IEM Cologne, which is set to take place at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany, from Aug. 1 – 3. IEM Cologne features 24 of the best Counter-Strike 2 teams competing for the lion’s share of a total prize pool of $1.25 million USD.
“EFG has defined esports in CS2 and Dota 2 over the last two decades, and we are proud to enter into this ecosystem as an exclusive data partner,” said Moritz Maurer, CEO and founder of GRID. “GRID and EFG share a commitment to excellence and a dedication to innovation, which has allowed us to lead in our respective fields. Ultimately, EFG and GRID, alongside the existing portfolio of leading rights holders on the GRID Data Platform, aim to establish a standard for data in esports and gaming.”
Berlin-based esports and betting data platform GRID serves as the official data platform for League of Legends, Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege, and PUBG, and is a prominent data partner within the Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 esports ecosystems.
EFG is owned by Savvy Games Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Saudi Arabian government’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund. The company serves as the home of festival company DreamHack, esports platform FACEIT, and U.S. and U.K.-focused esports production company Esports Engine. EFG also runs the Esports World Cup, alongside the Esports World Cup Foundation, which operates through a grant from the PIF.