StarLadder acquired by company with ties to ESL FACEIT Group

The deal is valued at an initial consideration of $5.5 million with a second part of the consideration payable on meeting earn-out targets.

Nodwin Gaming, a material subsidiary of Indian company Nazara Technologies, which has business interests in mobile games, esports, and sports media, has announced the acquisition of Ukrainian tournament organizer StarLadder.

StarLadder has been putting together events in Counter-Strike since 2011, and although it hasn't run any since 2019, it's set to make a return with StarLadder StarSeries Budapest in September 2025, which will reportedly be followed by the second Major of 2025, as well as two more events in 2026.

The deal Is initially valued at $5.5 million, with a second part of the consideration payable on meeting earn-out targets. As part of the deal, Roman Romantsov, StarLadder's founder and CEO, will continue to run the business and become a Nodwin Gaming shareholder.

"We are thrilled to have found partners and like-minded individuals who share our vision and ambition," Romantsov says, "Together with NODWIN Gaming, StarLadder is committed to creating extraordinary experiences for fans, delivering unforgettable events across multiple games and regions."

Ties to the ESL FACEIT Group include a 1.11% share in Nodwin Gaming's parent company, Nazara Technologies, from an investment by Turtle Entertainment GmbH, which is now ESL Gaming GmbH, that dates back to 2018.

Other ties come from several former ESL employees, most notably former EFG Chairman and ESL's Co-Founder and CEO, Ralf Reichert, now CEO at the Esports World Cup Foundation. Although he is not listed on the company's website, he was listed as a Director in filings as late as August 2024.

The Esports World Cup Foundation runs the Esports World Cup in conjunction with EFG, owned by Savvy Games, which was founded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

Another notable link is Nodwin International's Chief Executive Officer, Merlin Wiedeking, a former ESL employee who rose to the position of Senior Global Player Manager in 2020 after nearly 10 years in the company. Nodwin International is a subsidiary of Nodwin Gaming.

Nodwin's staff has several other former longtime ESL employees, such as Niels Wolter, who had a nearly 20-year career at ESL and EFG before becoming Chief Integration Officer at Nodwin Gaming in 2024.

In a Future Blockchain Summit presentation page, where Akshat Rathee, a Co-Founder and Managing Director at Nodwin Gaming, will be a speaker, it is stated that "the NODWIN gaming journey has been funded by partners such as Nazara Technologies, ESL/EFG (now part of Savvy/PIF), KRAFTON (makers of PUBG) and recently Sony Group Corporation (SGC)."

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Correction:

14:10 : Merlin Wiedeking was initially reported as Nodwin Gaming's CEO. He is CEO of Nodwin International, a subsidiary of Nodwin Gaming.

14:25 : The first report of the acquisition for $5.5m is just an initial valuation. The deal is valued at an initial consideration of $5.5 million, with a second part of the consideration payable upon meeting earn-out targets.