Major League Gaming buys online multiplayer stats company
Major League Gaming has acquired Agora Games, which offers tools for developing such features as leaderboards and shared player statistics for online game communities.
New York-based MLG is one of the biggest companies that lets online gamers compete against each other in both live and online tournaments. Stats give gamers bragging rights and so are very important in online games.
The acquisition will enable MLG to offer more features in its competitive gaming communities. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
MLG will use Agora’s technology both to expand its own platform and to offer services to video game publishers who want to build their own online multiplayer game communities. MLG says the combined offering of MLG’s promotional tournaments and Agora’s technology will make MLG more attractive to game makers, who are key partners in the promotion of game tournaments.
Agora’s technology tracks game stats for 25 million players around the world (see image). It has helped build online game communities for Guitar Hero, Transformers, Call of Duty World at War, and Dance Dance Revolution. Agora founder Michael DelPrete will be president of the wholly-owned subsidiary and Agora will continue to operate out of its Troy, NY, office. Agora has been self-funded to date and currently has 20 employees.
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About the Author, Dean Takahashi
Dean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.
