Jonas Gundersen, former COO of Ninjas in Pyjamas and now CEO at Continuum X Group, announced that he has taken on a role as a Senior Advisor to the International Esports Federation (IESF).
Gundersen said he will use his esports experience and expertise to help IESF and national federations grow esports tournaments and engage local communities.
Gundersen, a former professional Counter-Strike player, joined esports organisation Ninjas in Pyjamas as COO in 2020. During his time at the company, Ninjas in Pyjamas made numerous moves on the business front, including merging with a Chinese company to form the NIP Group.
After leaving Ninjas in Pyjamas in February, Gundersen launched an investment and advisory company called Continuum X Group aimed at providing advisory services, investment, and management to interested parties in the esports industry.
Gundersen’s background offers him a position to share experiences and offer business and esports advice to IESF. In a social media post on LinkedIn, Gundersen said he would support IESF in helping national federations and their members engage local communities. He added that he believes in growing IESF’s nationality-based tournament model, and engaging operators and athletes from the top to the grassroots level.
“In what capacity a federation is needed is very much a debate in our new industry, where the nature of our business is that no single entity owns the rights. The publishers own the game IPs, and our ecosystem is co-dependent on each other to continue building mutual value that benefits all,” Gundersen said in the LinkedIn post.
“To me it’s about moderation, collaboration, facilitation, and a forum for a broader way of looking at esports, that hopefully helps capture the great momentum of the fantastic initiatives happening at the top, propelling it all the way down to the grassroots.”
The International Esports Federation has recently made major moves to collaborate with the Global Esports Federation, a separate international esports body, by creating the Esports Leadership Group. The federation appointed Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal as its President in October 2023.
Most recently, the IESF has been involved in a public disagreement with the Russian Esports Federation over its representation at its upcoming esports events. The organisation also recently endorsed the One China Policy.
