ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has informed employees that its latest wave of layoffs marks the end of a cost-cutting phase that has spanned 2025, with CEO Niccolò Maisto assuring staff that “the worst is behind us.”
In October 2025, EFG went through another round of layoffs, with almost 100 employees impacted as well as restructuring of several roles.
Fortunately for those still working there, the roles currently in place look to be safe, thanks to Maisto’s words of assurance.
EFG Establishes “Truly Sustainable Foundation”
According to a report by journalist Richard Lewis, a company-wide email stated: “Critically, this marks the end of this phase of change. With these foundations in place, we don’t anticipate any further changes of this scale. We’ve now established a truly sustainable foundation while not only preserving our core capabilities, but enabling us to better serve our partners and customers moving forward.”
The comments came during an internal town hall meeting held via Zoom following the layoffs. Lewis previously reported that EFG has been under pressure to reach profitability by 2026.
During the meeting, Maisto said the “new operating model breaks a lot of the silos and gives a flatter hierarchy” before adding that “we’re at the end of the first pillar, the cost-focused one.”
Slides presented at the meeting reportedly showed that EFG had reduced its losses by 54% between 2023 and 2024; however, the company remained “far away from breaking even.”
Another slide reportedly outlined a 2026 projection to be “positive based on all actions taken, including new commercial wins, improved operational efficiency, and organizational realignment with potential for additional unbudgeted upside.”
While Maisto described this period as a turning point, more changes are expected. Around 300 employees across esports departments are apparently being reassigned as part of a wider restructuring, with the company also shuttering several projects, including ESL Impact and ESL One Dota Asia events, as part of its strategic refocus.
At the time of writing, several new roles have gone live with ESL FACEIT Group, with a particular focus on marketing and events surrounding the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.