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Smash.gg esports website acquired by Microsoft

Microsoft's latest acquisition is an esports website.

Donovan Erskine

December 2, 2020 10:10 AM

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Over the last few years, we’ve seen Microsoft throwing around its check book to beef up its arsenal of first-party studios. That said, the company’s latest purchase is a bit of a head-scratcher. It’s been confirmed by the tournament-organizing website Smash.gg that they’ve been acquired by Microsoft.

The news quickly spread throughout Twitter on the morning of Wednesday, December 2, following a newly added tab on the Smash.gg website. On the homepage, a banner explicitly states that the website has been acquired by Microsoft. Clicking the banner reveals a bit more information about the deal. 

Smash.gg was first formed to better organize and facilitate tournaments for the Super Smash Bros. franchise. Since then, it’s grown to cover a solid variety of competitive games. Still, one can’t help but wonder what drove Microsoft to purchase the site. For fans and active users of Smash.gg, it looks like the website’s operations won’t change much following the acquisition, so you don’t have to worry about all the Smash and Street Fighter tourneys being replaced by Halo and Gears. 

Microsoft may be looking to get more involved in the world of esports, and this could be their first big move in doing so. In the past, we've seen pro circuits formed for both the Gears and Halo franchises. Whether this was a smart decision or not, only time will tell. It’s also unknown how much exactly Microsoft paid for Smash.gg, but that info may come out later. For future updates on Microsoft’s purchase of Smash.gg, stay here on Shacknews.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_