In reportedly the biggest esports-related transaction ever in Russian history, Mail.Ru has acquired ESForce, the parent company of SK Gaming, Virtus.Pro and several other esports ventures, for a sale price of USD 150 million, according to ESPN. ESForce also owns tournament organizer Epicenter, gambling websites CS:GO and Dota 2 Lounge, Yota Arena and Cybersport and RuHub. There has yet to be an official confirmation from either sides.
Mail.Ru is Russia’s most successful internet company, with subsidiaries including My.com (gaming), VKontakte (Russia’s largest social media platform), Mail.Ru (Russia’s biggest email service) among others. The company also has ties with the Russian government, and obviously related to president Vladimir Putin as well. Mail.Ru is headquartered in Moscow with over 3,000 employees worldwide, and is currently valued at around USD 6.7 billion.
