STARK Esports restructures company following skilled acquisition

European esports agency STARK Esports has announced a company-wide restructuring following the acquisition of Swiss tournament platform skilled.

The move sees STARK Esports’ player management responsibilities transferred to the newly-formed division RABONA, with skilled operating under the moniker STARK Esports Switzerland until an impending rebrand in the middle of the year.

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RABONA will manage STARK Esports’ player management activities under the guidance of Managing Director, Marc Goroll, a long-standing member of the German FIFA scene. RABONA offers professional players and content creators professional development and support, coaching, bookings, and campaign management services. It is anticipated that with the restructure, RABONA has placed marketability and brand building as a major focus for its clients.

Goroll commented in a release: “Esports and gaming as well as the closely related talent and influencer scene have developed rapidly in recent years. Therefore we are currently facing the task of further professionalizing the industry, creating the best possible frameworks and of course continuing to set benchmarks. I am looking forward to this challenge as much as to the further development of our talent and our portfolio.”

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The acquisition and rebrand of skilled to STARK Esports Switzerland will see its team integrated continue in its pre-existing office in Biberist, supported by a new setup in Zurich. The team will continue to operate and provide tournament organisation services to the Swiss scene, serving STARK Esports’ aim of being a full-service esports provider in the German-speaking territory.

Michael Bieri, Managing Director of STARK Esports Switzerland, noted the benefits of the acquisition: “It makes us proud to be part of the STARK Esports family and part of the company’s growth from now on. Our team in Switzerland consists of esports enthusiasts from the first hour with a lot of community experience and a good sense of what the target groups are really interested in – from Counter-Strike, League of Legends to FIFA. What drives us is the ambition to develop better digital solutions to help the esports ecosystem grow as a whole. In any case, we see room for improvement in the market.”

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As the parent company of the two new ventures, Martin Wyss, Managing Director of STARK Esports, had this to say: “Setting up our company in the best possible way for the future is a process that affects many aspects. In our daily work we have become much more than what is visible to the outside. With the restructuring and expansion, the next steps based on our strategy have been taken.

“Now it is time to let this echo in the market, whether it is in cooperation with brands, publishers or rights holders. With our expertise and power in the fields of consulting, technology, production and creative solutions, we are very well positioned for further expansion and future challenges.”

Esports Insider says: It seems that STARK Esports certainly have some ambitious goals for the German-speaking esports scene. The new acquisition and corresponding restructure is a great way to divvy up its differing business goals while retaining a clear vision and overall strategy. 

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