Mentioned in this article
- Cloud9 and Microsoft have partnered to co-develop data-driven esports tools and technologies for all Cloud9 teams.
- Microsoft’s cloud-based Azure platform will be used to mine data from games and provide actionable insights for players and teams.
- The deal may also influence Cloud9’s created content, plus the team will hire an in-house data scientist to assist on its side of the partnership.
Cloud9 
has signed Microsoft as its official technology and performance analytics partner in a multiyear deal that will see the tech giant co-develop tools for the team.
Microsoft and Cloud9 will “co-innovate new technologies in esports,” according to a release, utilizing Microsoft’s cloud-based Azure platform to analyze and mine data from the games that Cloud9 competes in. That data will then be used to provide potentially actionable insights and strategies for players and teams to utilize.
“Using a range of Microsoft’s commercial and consumer products and services, we will work with Cloud9 to build tools that will help them train more efficiently and determine their best strategies to win,” said Microsoft director of sports technology Mike Downey, in a release. “Pairing the technological expertise of Microsoft with some of the world’s best gamers and coaches, we have an opportunity to develop some really innovative technology.”
The partnership may yield new types of content, as well, as the release notes that Cloud9 fans can “look forward to seeing new stats, more engaging and interactive content, and deeper analysis to better understand their favorite players.” Cloud9 will also bring on an in-house data scientist to help turn the data into usable information.
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Cloud9 currently fields teams and players in a dozen games, including League of Legends , Counter-Strike: Global Offensive , and Rocket League , as well as Overwatch through its London Spitfire team in the Overwatch League .
The deal is similar to the one struck by Team Liquid and SAP in April 2018, which sees the enterprise application software company harnessing its SAP Hana platform to provide actionable insights for the team’s Dota 2 squad.
