ESL FACEIT Group co-CEO Craig Levine steps down

ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) co-CEO Craig Levine has confirmed he will be stepping away from his role, leaving Niccolò Maisto as the sole CEO of the company.

Craig Levine will hold an advisory role until the end of the year

Levine made the official announcement through his LinkedIn profile, as he will be leaving the company he joined back in 2014: “Being part of EFG’s story has been one of the greatest honors of my professional life. I’m extremely proud of what we’ve achieved together. I’m especially grateful to the entire team for their passion, creativity, and commitment to shaping the future of esports!” he said on LinkedIn.

During his tenure as co-CEO at EFG, Levine helped the company become one of the most prominent tournament organizers in the world. At the start of 2022, the company was announced to be acquired by Savvy Games Group, with ESL Gaming and FACEIT merging together under one company. The two companies were bought for a combined value of $1.5 billion by the Saudi Arabian government-backed investment company.

The company will now continue under the guidance of founder and now CEO Niccolo Maisto, as it will continue to focus its esports endeavors across existing leagues such as Counter-Strike 2, Overwatch 2, among others.

Starting off as the founder of gaming organization Team 3D, Levine joined ESL Gaming back in 2014 as Executive Vice President for North America before moving to the Chief Strategy Officer role in 2018. He became co-CEO in June 2020 and has maintained the position until now. He hasn’t revealed his next steps for the upcoming year.