Microsoft Quietly Acquires Esports Tournament Platform Smash.gg

Esports tournament platform, Smash.gg, has been acquired by Microsoft for an undisclosed amount. Smash.gg took to Twitter to make the announcement after followers caught on to a banner referencing the acquisition on Smash.gg’s homepage. Microsoft is yet to make an official statement regarding the acquisition.

Smash.gg started as a competitive bracket host just for Super Smash Bros back in 2015. It is currently an eSports platform that specializes in organizing tournaments. The platform is San Francisco based and has come a long way since the days of Super Smash Bros tournaments. Even as they remain firmly rooted in the fighting genre, they have since expanded to include other games such as Fortnite, Hearthstone, Street Fighter, and Rocket League.

The esports tournament platform has been able to set itself apart from other bracket websites through its Twitter integration. With that, organizers now have an easier job in hosting events. The suite of tools that is made available by Smash.gg allows organizers to track detailed analysis, handle payments, and manage events.

The Big Announcement

A representative from Microsoft’s public relations agency confirmed the acquisition, stating that “The company is looking to expand their offerings and Smash.gg provides a key piece in that journey to innovate and accelerate their content offerings.

An official statement was made on Smash.gg’s website, and it reads, “Since we started in 2015, our goal has been to build active esports scenes around the games people love to play. Today, we are excited to take the next step in that journey by joining Microsoft 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. If you have any questions about existing tournaments, please reach out to us.”

Details about the acquisition have not been made available by either Microsoft, who has been very quiet about it, or Smash.gg. However, the tweet made by Smash.gg did address some concerns that event organizers might have. It reads, “With this acquisition, the Smash.gg community and tournament organizers will continue to benefit from the Smash.gg platform, while our teams will now benefit from additional resources and support as part of the Microsoft Content Services team. For now, it is business as usual as our combined team continues to support our community and tournament organizers. We are excited about this acquisition’s potential to further empower the esports community and expand Smash.gg’s reach and scale.”

Microsoft has made recent acquisitions that places it at the forefront of the console wars. One worthy of note is the purchase of Zenimax Media back in October, and with it came Fallout, Doom, Elder Scrolls, and Dishonored series of games. Smash.gg’s purchase is an indication that Microsoft is looking to get ahead in the competitive multiplayer arena, seeing as the Zenimax Media purchase and its series of games were focused on single-player individual experience.

The acquisition allows Microsoft to truly make an impact in the nature of esports tournaments. No matter how you look at it, this acquisition is great news for both parties. Microsoft could expand the platform to more games as its flagship titles, Gears of War and Halo, have esports scenes.

We are all aware of the effects Covid-19 has had in the esports industry and the world at large, and Smash.gg have not been quiet about it. In recent months, the esports tournament platform has spoken out on Reddit about the effects Covid-19 has had on its business. One post reads, “There are always lots of conversations going on about what we need to do to continue to grow and serve the community. That has sometimes included talks about acquisition or combination with services.”

This acquisition can only mean good news for the esports industry because one of the world’s biggest businesses will be backing one of the world’s biggest esports tournament platforms.