ESB Games is being built around an ambitious vision: to create a platform where people can discover, belong and build. Turning that vision into reality requires leadership across technology, business strategy, operations and the wider organisation. At the centre of that work is the ESB Games Executive Board, the group responsible for setting the company's direction, making key strategic decisions and ensuring that our teams are working towards a shared set of objectives. Today, we're introducing the three members of the Executive Board, who they are, the experience and interests they bring to ESB Games, and the responsibilities they hold within the company.
The ESB Games Executive Board
Ethan Sage
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
About
Ethan Sage is the founder of ESB Games and the creator behind the ESBlox brand. Before establishing ESB Games, Ethan developed ESBlox around his interests in gaming, technology, software development and online creation. Through the brand and his wider projects, he gained hands-on experience developing games and digital products, working with online communities, and exploring how technology can be used to create new experiences for players and creators. These interests eventually developed into the original concept behind ESB Games: a wider gaming ecosystem designed around playing, creating, communicating and building communities rather than a single game or product. Ethan went on to found ESB Games and establish the original vision, identity and foundations behind the company and its platform.
At ESB Games
As Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Ethan is responsible for the overall direction, long-term strategy and development of ESB Games. He leads the Executive Board and works across the company's wider leadership structure to establish priorities, make major company decisions and ensure that different areas of ESB Games continue working towards a shared long-term vision. As the founder of the original ESB Games product concept, Ethan also retains executive oversight of the wider direction of the platform and its ecosystem. Formal product leadership sits within the company's product team, while Ethan focuses on ensuring that the products being developed remain aligned with the broader vision and objectives of ESB Games. Alongside his executive responsibilities, Ethan remains particularly involved in the technology behind the company and directly leads ESB Games' software engineering and technical development.
Technology & Engineering
Alongside his responsibilities as CEO, Ethan directly leads the software engineering and technical development of ESB Games. He currently acts as the primary developer and engineering lead across much of the ESB Games ecosystem, working across the technology that powers the main platform, ESB Studio and the company's supporting systems, services and infrastructure. His responsibilities include making major technical decisions, overseeing software architecture and development, building and reviewing systems across the platform and helping establish the technical foundations required to support ESB Games as it grows. This gives Ethan a particularly hands-on role within the company, combining executive leadership with direct involvement in building the technology behind ESB Games.
Abhay Shankar
Managing Director
About
Abhay Shankar brings experience across marketing, operations and creative design, with more than three years of experience in marketing and two years of combined experience across operations and creative work. His background has given him experience across strategy, branding, communication, team coordination and internal planning, as well as an understanding of how visual identity and smaller details can shape the way people experience a brand. Abhay has developed a particular interest in turning complex ideas into clear, practical messages and helping teams transform plans into work that can be delivered effectively. He believes that successful marketing is not simply about attracting attention, but about building trust, creating a clear identity and developing strong relationships with the people a brand serves. This approach has shaped the way he works across both creative and operational responsibilities, balancing structure with creativity and helping ensure that strong ideas move beyond planning and into execution.
At ESB Games
Abhay Shankar is the Managing Director of ESB Games and a member of the Executive Board. He helps turn the company's wider vision into structured business strategy, commercial planning and coordinated execution across the organisation. Working closely with the CEO, Abhay plays a major role in shaping ESB Games' business direction, public positioning and long-term commercial strategy. He works across departments on areas including branding, communication, internal planning, monetisation, pricing and the development of sustainable revenue models. His role also involves supporting coordination between teams and helping ensure that major company initiatives are clearly defined before being translated into actionable objectives. Abhay's experience in marketing and creative strategy also contributes to how ESB Games presents itself publicly. He works to strengthen the company's identity, improve communication and build stronger relationships with players, creators and the wider community. His approach is based on the belief that a successful gaming platform requires more than strong technology. It also requires a recognisable identity, effective communication, an engaged community and careful attention to the experience surrounding the product itself.
Business & Commercial Strategy
A significant part of Abhay's role involves working across departments to develop the commercial strategy behind ESB Games. This includes areas such as pricing, monetisation, subscriptions, revenue models, commercial viability and the financial structure behind products and services across the platform. Rather than treating these decisions in isolation, Abhay works with the relevant departments to understand how each proposal fits into the wider business. When developing an ESB Games subscription, for example, this can involve determining which benefits should be included, how different subscription tiers should be positioned, what each tier should cost, why that pricing is commercially appropriate and how the subscription contributes to the company's wider revenue model. Once a direction has been established, Abhay works with the appropriate executive leaders and departments to turn that strategy into clear objectives and move it towards implementation. His role therefore connects business strategy, commercial decision-making and departmental execution.
Jerin Varghese
Chief Operating Officer
About
Jerin Varghese has a strong interest in operations, business development, strategic partnerships and identifying emerging opportunities within the gaming industry. His interests span both the operational and commercial sides of growing an organisation, with a particular focus on turning ideas into practical execution, developing relationships and creating opportunities that support long-term growth. Jerin also has a strong interest in building connections between players, creators, brands and communities. This perspective contributes to his broader view of gaming platforms as ecosystems shaped not only by the products they offer, but by the people, partnerships and communities surrounding them. His approach combines operational thinking with an interest in growth and collaboration, helping move ideas beyond their initial concept and towards coordinated execution.
At ESB Games
Jerin Varghese is the Chief Operating Officer of ESB Games and a member of the Executive Board. Working closely with the CEO and Managing Director, he is responsible for helping translate the company's wider vision and strategy into coordinated execution across the organisation. As COO, Jerin acts as a central point of coordination between the Executive Board and ESB Games' wider executive leadership team. He works across departments to maintain effective communication, strengthen internal coordination and ensure that company-wide objectives continue progressing from planning into delivery. His role spans operational systems and processes, executive management, cross-departmental coordination, organisational efficiency and support operations. Members of the wider executive management structure report through Jerin, giving him an important role in maintaining communication and accountability across the company's leadership. Jerin also contributes to business development, strategic partnerships and the exploration of new opportunities for ESB Games. This includes helping develop relationships with players, creators, brands and communities that can support the company's wider ecosystem and long-term growth. Through this combination of operational leadership and external development, Jerin helps ensure that ESB Games has both the internal coordination and wider relationships required to turn its ambitions into execution.
Operations & Executive Management
A central part of Jerin's role is ensuring that ESB Games operates effectively as its teams, products and responsibilities continue to expand. He works closely with executive leaders to understand progress within their departments, identify where additional support or collaboration is required and ensure that important information moves effectively between teams and the Executive Board. Where an initiative requires several departments to work together, Jerin helps coordinate responsibilities, maintain clear communication and ensure that progress continues across the organisation. This makes Jerin one of ESB Games' primary internal communication hubs, connecting company strategy with the executives and teams responsible for delivering it.
How the Executive Board Works Together
Although each member of the Executive Board has a distinct area of responsibility, their roles are closely connected. Ethan Sage leads the overall vision, long-term direction and technology of ESB Games. Abhay Shankar leads much of the company's business and commercial strategy, helping transform wider company objectives into sustainable business models and actionable plans. Jerin Varghese leads operations and executive management, coordinating the wider leadership team and ensuring that communication, systems, processes and execution remain effective across the organisation. Together, the Executive Board connects vision, business strategy and operational execution, providing the leadership structure responsible for guiding ESB Games as the company continues to develop.
Our Wider Leadership Team
The Executive Board is supported by a wider Leadership and Management Team responsible for individual areas across ESB Games, including Product, Finance, Marketing, Safety, People, Development, Quality Assurance, Support and other parts of the organisation. Each of these executive and management leaders plays an important role in turning the wider direction of ESB Games into specialised work across their respective departments. As ESB Games continues to develop, we'll be introducing more of the people behind these teams, sharing their backgrounds, responsibilities and the work they are leading across the company. More leadership profiles are coming soon.
