eSports

The Russian Association for Electronic Communications announces the new Gaming industry and esports cluster

Published

6 years ago

September 22, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Russian Association of electronic communications (RAEC) announces the creation of the Gaming industry and esports cluster.

The new cluster’s purpose is to solve practical problems in the communication field of communication with the media, opinion leaders and the general public.

Priority tasks will be:

Work with public opinion, convey a common industry position on the role of video games in society and their impact on it through a pool of experts, release and aggregation of information materials;
Identification, coordination and verification of unified data on the gaming and esports markets based on independent research and market participants ‘ own information;
Development of educational projects and activities.

The cluster is designed to bring together leading organizations and experts from the gaming industry and provide them with the necessary platform for communication with target groups, to become an intermediary between representatives of the gaming world and society.

The initial group of cluster experts includes:

Karina Konkova, Communications Director at MY.GAMES (cluster co-chairman in the “Gaming industry” direction);
Yaroslav Meshalkin, Chief Strategic Communications Officer at ESforce Holding (cluster co-chairman in the “Esports” direction);
Ilya Salamatov, CEO of META Publishing;
Artem Vinokurov, Vice-President of the Russian Esports Federation;
Elena Grigoryan, Marketing and Advertising Director at MY.GAMES;
Vladislav Arkhipov, PhD in law, head of the Theory and history of state and law department at Saint Petersburg state University, adviser to the practice of intellectual property, information technology and telecommunications of the international law at Dentons, author of the course “Legal esports issues”;
Sergey Glamazda, Virtus.pro General Manager;
Stepan Shulga, Head of esports at Parimatch, esports evangelist;
Nikolay Petrosyan, Head of Media direction at ESforce Holding, Head of Cybersport.ru;
Olga Morozova, author of the “Igrology”, researcher at the Institute of Psychology in the Russian Academy of Sciences, specialist of the Moscow center for video game research;
Anton Oleynik, General Producer of RuHub Studio;
Leonid Koen, senior consultant (sports industry and esports) at Odgers Berndtson Russia.

The cluster is open for new participants, and the conditions for joining the expert group are described on the official website of RAEC: https://raec.ru/en/ All applications will be reviewed jointly by RAEC and cluster experts.

Sergey Plugotarenko, Director of the Russian Association for Electronic Communications (RAEC):

“RAEC has long been interested in gaming and esports — not only as a hobby for employees, although many of us like to play, but also as drivers of the media and entertainment industry. For several years in a row, we held panels about video games within Russian Internet forum and Russian Internet Week. As a result, we realized the need for a strong communication platform, within which industry representatives can form a consolidated position and build a dialogue with society. This platform should be our new cluster. To create it, we turned to the largest market players and recognized experts, and as a result, we found a strong mutual interest.”

Karina Konkova, Communications Director at MY.GAMES, co-chairman of the RAEC Gaming industry and esports cluster:

“Games are one of the fastest growing segments of the global entertainment industry, with a global audience of more than 2 billion people. The role and prospects of this market in the digital economy are well understood by its participants, but not always obvious to audiences far from game development. We believe that open dialogue, systematic research and educational initiatives will allow games and esports to better identify their real economic potential and enable talented Russian specialists and developers to achieve success both locally and internationally.”

Yaroslav Meshalkin, Chief Strategic Communications Officer at ESforce Holding, expert on the esports mass culture on the Council of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs, co-chairman of the RAEC Gaming industry and esports cluster:

“Video games and esports like to be periodically blamed for all the deadly sins, masking real social problems behind it. Thanks to RAEC, we are able to work systematically with the perception of games and computer sports at all levels that interest us. The second and no less important task that our cluster is designed to solve is the formation of a unified approach to market assessment, since now the figures of different research companies are very different from each other and need to be verified by the industry Association.”

The Gaming industry and esports cluster started working. You can find out about the results of its activities on the cluster’s page: https://raec.ru/clusters/gaming-esports/.

eSports

NODWIN Gaming partners Runestone on integrity and real-time data for esports events

Published

1 day ago

April 13, 2026

Wladimir P.

nodwin-gaming-partners-runestone-on-integrity-and-real-time-data-for-esports-events

Deal launches with NODWIN Clutch Series as the companies target better oversight and more interactive broadcasts across Tier 2 CS2 and beyond.

NODWIN Gaming has signed a strategic partnership with Prague-based esports technology company Runestone to add integrity monitoring and real-time data tools across NODWIN’s global tournament portfolio. The companies said the collaboration has launched with the NODWIN Clutch Series.

NODWIN and Runestone positioned the deal around tournament oversight and broadcast engagement, as organizers increasingly use data-driven tooling to support fair competition and build more interactive viewing experiences.

The partnership begins on a Tier 2 Counter-Strike 2 property. The latest edition ended with BIG winning NODWIN Clutch Series 5, beating ECSTATIC 2–1 in the grand final of the $50,000 online tournament.

Speaking on the partnership Teemu Koski, Chief Business Officer at NODWIN Gaming MENA and Global Head of Data Monetization, said, “We’re excited to partner with Runestone as we continue expanding our competitive gaming portfolio across high-growth regions and titles. Integrity and transparency are fundamental to sustainable esports ecosystems, especially in Tier 2 competition where the next generation of talent emerges. Runestone’s expertise in real-time data and integrity infrastructure complements our experience in building scalable esports IPs and competitive ecosystems. Together, we’re able to strengthen tournament operations while unlocking richer engagement experiences for fans. Starting with the NODWIN Clutch Series for CS2, we see strong potential to expand this collaboration across new IPs, new regions, and new competitive formats.”

Michael Schwartz, Head of Partnerships at Runestone, added, “NODWIN Gaming has built one of the most dynamic esports ecosystems across emerging markets, and we’re thrilled to collaborate with a partner that shares our focus on building sustainable competitive ecosystems. By combining NODWIN’s experience in operating global esports IPs with Runestone’s integrity and engagement infrastructure, we can support tournaments with greater transparency, deeper fan interaction, and scalable operational tools. Supporting the NODWIN Clutch Series is an exciting starting point, and we’re looking forward to expanding into new titles, formats, and regions together.”

The post NODWIN Gaming partners Runestone on integrity and real-time data for esports events appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

brand-partnership

G2 names Skin.Club official skin partner for its CS2 team

Published

2 days ago

April 13, 2026

Wladimir P.

g2-names-skin.club-official-skin-partner-for-its-cs2-team

Skin.Club branding will appear on G2 jerseys, social channels and content series, with in-person activations planned.

G2 has partnered with Skin.Club as the official skin partner for its Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) team, with the deal spanning team jerseys, content and live experiences.

Under the agreement, Skin.Club will feature on G2’s CS2 team jersey as an official partner. The partnership also includes logo placement across G2’s social channels and integration within content series throughout the year, plus a “series of in-person activations,” according to the companies.

“Partnering with Skin.Club marks an exciting step forward for our G2 CS team,” said Alban Dechelotte, CEO of G2. “We’re always looking to work with brands that genuinely understand the Counter-Strike community, and Skin.Club brings both passion and innovation to the space. Together, we aim to create engaging experiences for fans while continuing to push the competitive ambitions of our roster.”

“At Skin.Club, we’re focused on creating experiences that bring the Counter-Strike community closer together,” said Dan Tar, CMO of Skin.Club. “Collaborating with G2 allows us to work alongside one of the most iconic teams in esports and deliver new ways for fans to engage. Drive, Love, Counter-Strike!”

Financial terms and the partnership duration were not disclosed.

The post G2 names Skin.Club official skin partner for its CS2 team appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Counter-Strike 2

Stake and Team Vitality launch Counter-Strike fan giveaway

Published

2 days ago

April 13, 2026

Wladimir P.

Five custom gaming PC rigs, each set up by a Vitality Counter-Strike player, are available via the Stake Community Forum.

Stake has partnered with esports organisation Team Vitality on an exclusive fan giveaway tied to the Counter-Strike 2 ecosystem, offering five bespoke gaming PC rigs customised by players from Vitality’s Counter-Strike roster.

According to the companies, each setup is built to competitive standards and reflects a player’s individual preferences and playstyle. The rigs include an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D processor, an ASUS RTX 5070 Ti graphics card, 32GB DDR5 RAM, and ASUS B850M motherboards with integrated Wi‑Fi, alongside a 750W 80+ Gold power supply.

Team Vitality is Stake’s official esports partner, and the giveaway is positioned as part of a broader campaign around the Stake Ranked series, described by Stake as the latest instalment in its calendar of Counter-Strike 2 LAN events.

Fans can enter by creating a Stake Community Forum account and replying to the official competition post with their Stake username.

Mezii, Team Vitality said: “I’m really excited to see this PC. It’s a super clean custom build, with great attention to detail and a strong overall aesthetic. Huge thanks to Stake for delivering something that looks sharp and really captures the vibe we’re bringing to the server.”

The post Stake and Team Vitality launch Counter-Strike fan giveaway appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.