Esports and tournament organization site Smash.gg is saying that it has been acquired by Microsoft in a new deal that will "help strengthen [its] existing relationships and explore new opportunities."
Smash.gg is a website that is primarily used by people who are looking to organize a tournament or esports event. A lot of coordination is involved to put such an event together; for example, a tournament would require that a bracket is designed for the players to participate in. This service facilitates that (and other functions of creating a tournament) for everything from a 24-person Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament at a local game store to an esports competition involving hundreds of players.
Now, a new announcement on the service's website states that the company has been acquired by Microsoft, although it looks like things won't be changing too much.
Will Smash.gg Change After the Microsoft Acquisition?
The announcement on the Smash.gg website (via ResetEra) makes it clear that it will be going forward as an independent entity. Presumably, Microsoft's acquisition will give it an angle to get more people involved through esports via its new subsidiary.
Smash.gg has been acquired by Microsoft!
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 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 hello@smash.gg.
Microsoft certainly has a reason to bring a site for organizing gaming tournaments under its wing — Halo has been one of the most popular esports titles in the world at several points in the franchise's lifetime. With next year's upcoming release of Halo Infinite, we may soon see official Halo tournaments organized via Smash.gg.
What do you think of Microsoft acquiring Smash.gg? Have you ever participated in a smaller, local gaming tournament for fun or prizes? Let us know in the comments below!
