Microsoft has announced that it’s acquired Smash.gg, a platform for hosting esports events and tournaments that was founded in 2015. Microsoft says it’ll keep Smash.gg as an independent platform for esports tournament organizers.

The financial terms of Microsoft’s acquisition weren’t disclosed, whereas Smash.gg had raised some $14 million in venture funding before its just-announced acquisition. The esports startup’s backers include Spark Capital, Accel, Lowercase Capital, Caffeinated Capital, and Horizon Ventures.

Smash.gg marks one of Microsoft’s notable esports acquisitions in recent years. The software giant had previously acquired the game streaming service Beam in 2016 and rebranded it as Mixer but ended up shutting it down this year after it failed to keep up with other competitors such as Amazon’s Twitch.

As Microsoft has said Smash.gg will remain independent, it’ll likely exist as a standalone platform for more years to come. It’s unclear what play Microsoft’s acquisition of Smash.gg is meant for, be it its Xbox gaming platform, its MSN media platform, or any other.

Photo: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella by World Economic Forum is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

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