Historic ESL Pro League Partnership extended until at least 2025 by major CS:GO teams

The Commissioner of the ESL Pro League, Alex Inglot, has announced today that the Louvre Agreement, the groundbreaking partnership between ESL Gaming and 14 of the top teams in CS:GO, has been unanimously extended until at least the end of 2025.

The news of the Louvre Agreement’s extension follows it’s recently announced expansion, which saw esports teams BIG and Furia join the partnership. This means that Astralis, BIG, Complexity, Evil Geniuses, ENCE, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, Furia, G2 Esports, Mousesports, Natus Vincere, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team Liquid, Team Vitality, and leading tournament organiser ESL Gaming, will jointly govern and grow the ESL Pro League until at least 2025.

What is the Louvre Agreement and what’s in the extension?

The 2020 Louvre Agreement is a groundbreaking deal between ESL Gaming and some of the biggest teams in esports. Via the agreement, the members steer the growth of the ESL Pro League. Together, they establish new structures to help stakeholder input and distribute of the leagues’ revenues in a way that supports team stability; all while exploring commercial opportunities together to further develop the future of the EPL. 

Today’s extension marks a point of confidence and ambition in the Louvre Agreement, and a commitment from all 15 members that this is a venture they want to invest in for the long haul. But it is not only an extension in years; it includes the opportunity for higher revenues for each of the Member Teams and a tangible commitment and redoubling of efforts in the North American scene. The extension also brings a vote of confidence for the recently launched CS:GO Hub, an integrated analysis and coaching tool, as well as a forum where the long-term viability of new joint ventures, such as a CSGO-focused NFT strategy, can be further discussed.

What  does it mean for the ESL Pro League?

Alex Inglot, Commissioner of the ESL Pro League, said: 

“Despite the global challenges and uncertainties of the last 24 months, I’m proud that together we have created something so dynamic for the CS:GO ecosystem. The Louvre Agreement is a manifestation of a joint desire to create a sustainable yet ambitious framework within CS:GO – one that can serve to positively impact and influence the rest of the ecosystem.

This extension was agreed on unanimously, which reiterates the partner’s joint dedication to our goals of a peerless competition for fans, a stable environment for teams and players, and an attractive destination for investment. There is so much we can achieve now that we are working on a time scale of 2025 and beyond.”

Ralf Reichert, ESL Gaming Co-CEO added:

“Extending the Louvre Agreement is an incredible milestone for our partner teams and ESL. We are very excited to continue to build what we started and intensify our cooperation with the teams across our consumer-facing projects like our CS:GO platforms and other digital initiatives.

As partners the teams have brought the ESL Pro League to a whole new level, and having this agreement extended ensures a balanced governance and decision-making infrastructure for years to come.”

Victor Goossens, Founder and Co-CEO of Team Liquid, who are a partner team of the Louvre Agreement, commented on the extension saying:

“Extending the Louvre Agreement is such a momentous occasion for competitive CS:GO. Not only does it symbolise a commitment by the partner teams to grow the competitive CS:GO space, it’s also a force-for-good in the joint efforts to strengthen the North American CS:GO ecosystem. It’s a display of what we can build together. We play in many different leagues –  the LCS, DreamLeague, EPIC League and many more – but for us, the Louvre Agreement is what makes the ESL Pro League special. We built it, we’re part of it, and now we’re watching it grow. It’s a very fulfilling process and we’re excited to see what this does across the industry.” 

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About the Louvre Agreement: 

The Louvre Agreement is a groundbreaking new agreement between 14 leading CS:GO teams and ESL Gaming who jointly govern the setup of the ESL Pro League and the share of revenues and profits from ESL’s Pro Tour competitions. The teams, representing the top level of professional CS:GO, are now majority stakeholders in the league with a long-term slot for participation. By partnering with the leading CS:GO teams the new agreement further establishes the ESL Pro League as one of the most valuable properties in the global business of esports. https://pro.eslgaming.com/csgo/proleague/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Louvre-Agreement.pdf

About the EPL Commissioner’s Office:

The Commissioners Office is an Independent esports body dedicated to the growth and development of the ESL Pro League and the Louvre Agreement that sits behind it. Led by the Commissioner, Alex Inglot, the Commissioner’s Office aims to build equity, increase investment and democratise revenue share for ESL Gaming and the Partner Teams of the ESL Pro League.

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