Microsoft has purchased Smash.gg, a five-year old esports platform company, for an undisclosed amount. Smash.gg announced the purchase on its website on December 2.
Smash.gg[1] is all about "empowering eSports communities," according to its tagline. The company was founded in 2015 by a team of amatuer players and fans active in the esports community. Smash.gg says it currently supports more than 6,000 active event organizers across a broad mix of games.
On its home page, Smash.gg officials acknowledge the Microsoft purchase with the following statement: "Since we started in 2015, our goal has been to build active esports scenes around the games people love to play. Today we're excited to take the next step in that journey by joining Microsoft [2]to help strengthen our existing relationships and explore new opportunities. Smash.gg will continue as a self-service esports platform available to tournament organizers from all game communities."
More on what Smash does from the Smash.gg site:
"We provide bracket and registration functionality for both online and live events, running from 16 person LAN events to online tournaments with thousands of participants.
Our software is free to use for anyone. We often work with sponsors and game developers looking to connect with their player communities and are always happy to share our insights."
Sources close to Microsoft confirmed that Microsoft acquired Smash.gg, but had nothing to say about the terms of the deal. The MSN eSports account on Twitter also confirmed the deal [3]with this Tweet: "Big news everyone! @smashggis joining us at Microsoft. Same great tournament organization features. Same amazing team. Even more support and opportunities. Get ready to play!
Earlier this year, Microsoft ended up shutting down Mixer[4],