In 20 years of activities in the areas of games, sports and technology, Leo De Biase is the CEO of ESL Brasil and began working in the company in November 2016 with the mission of strengthening the national market of the area, consolidating strategic partnerships and seeking investment for initiatives, events and championships, already very famous and profitable around the world. Prior to ESL Brazil, De Biase was a pioneer in the "Lan Houses" segment in Brazil and, as a former professional player of CS 1.6 and a sports enthusiast, he became a reference in the market for consultations, lectures and columns in the media.
In talk with GMB, the executive talks about the company's trajectory, his recent participation in recente Juegos Miami event, and says he hopes that the legalization process of gaming will have an outcome that favors the country.
Tell us about ESL trajectory. What markets do you work with, your main products and future goals?
ESL is the largest eSports company in the world, leading the industry through the most popular electronic games with numerous online and offline competitions. The company operates its own national and international competitions and brands such as Intel Extreme Masters, ESL One, ESL National Championships among others. ESL produces everything from major stadium events to amateur base cups, leagues and matchmaking systems, as well as working on creating live, original content for the most diverse platforms. It also covers services related to gamer technology, event management and television production aimed at the global eSports market. In Brazil, the main league is the Brazilian Premier League, with competitions between Brazilian teams and players of Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Clash Royale and Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition. Another Brazilian production is the LA League, the first South American league of CS: GO that qualifies to an international championship in Dallas.
ESL was presente at Juegos Miami at the end of May. What was the company's participation in the event and how do you evaluate the contents of the congress and the networking you have done?
I participated as a speaker in a panel titled "eSports - The Next Big Thing?" where I approached themes such as: what eSports are and what the target audience of this market; the latest trends in the global sports market; how to attract new brands and audiences, among others. Participating in the event was extremely productive and brought us good networking opportunities, since it was possible to talk about eSports for participants who also work in other games modalities throughout Latin America and the Caribbean as well.
Regarding the participation of the Brazilian speakers in the event. In your opinion, what were the main messages they sent and what effect do you think they had on the audience?
I believe that the Brazilian speakers represented our country very well in the event. They all presented insights relevant to their respective markets and showed how comprehensive the gaming market can be. About the eSports market, it is a growing segment that needs to be seen by the brands, since the accompanying public makes Brazil the third in the ranking, only behind of China and the United States.
How do you evaluate the gaming legalization process in Brazil? Do you think we'll have a law soon?
ESL Brazil does not position itself on the subject, but hopes that it will be decided what is best for the market and for our country.
Source: Exclusive GMB
