Smilegate is looking to grow “Crossfire” esports — and the Korean game developer is leaning on in-game data to make the vision a reality.
Yesterday, February 26, Smilegate announced a new partnership with the esports data technology company GRID Esports. The goal of the partnership is to use official in-game data from Smilegate’s tactical first-person shooter title “Crossfire” to build more commercial opportunities for the developer. The companies declined to disclose the full terms of the deal, including its financial value, but GRID CEO Moritz Maurer said that it was a “multi-year partnership” in an interview with GamesBeat.
“This is solving a lot of things for them internally, where they previously had to manually collect data or create their own computer vision thing to power internal assets, or scoreboards, leaderboards and broadcast assets,” Maurer said. “All of this will be done in a scalable way. There will be more fan-facing things that incorporate data to make leagues more accessible and engaging — and ultimately also result in additional specific data-driven sponsorship inventory.”
Founded in 2018, GRID Esports uses a custom application programming interface to track match events like kills, deaths and assists, player performance stats and other in-game metrics. The company has worked on the esports programs of major publishers like Ubisoft, Riot Games and Krafton, but its new relationship with Smilegate represents its expansion into the Asian gaming market.
When asked about new forms of data-backed inventory opened up by Smilegate’s partnership with GRID, Smilegate manager of new business development Jinuk Jeong declined to flag specific new formats, instead pointing out that the “strong foundation” created by a more transparent and reliable data environment would make the entire “Crossfire” ecosystem more attractive to potential commercial partners.
“Most importantly, our primary goal here isn’t just about our own monetization,” Jeong said in a written interview with GamesBeat. “We expect this to unlock more sponsorship and commercial opportunities directly for the teams. It is about building a sustainable ecosystem where our teams can grow financially.”
Esports has been in a difficult position in recent years, with slowing fan engagement and investment causing some publishers to consolidate their leagues or shut them down entirely. Despite this slowdown, Smilegate has been investing in growing its global esports presence since last year, per Jeong, who said that competitive gaming is key for the growth of the game’s ecosystem.
“Esports is central to Crossfire’s global identity. It highlights the absolute best gameplay and dedication from our community, which keeps the franchise relevant long-term,” he said. “Looking ahead, building a scalable, data-driven foundation is exactly what we need to sustain this growth and keep evolving.”
For GRID Esports, the company’s partnership with Smilegate is just another step in its plan to bring more in-game data into the competitive gaming ecosystem — and perhaps help improve the bottom line of the esports industry in the process. Since GRID’s most recent fundraising round in 2021, the company has grown steadily, and GRID is currently on the precipice of becoming profitable, according to Maurer.
“It’s a good time to grow and to finance expansion organically, if you look at the general market and the struggles that gaming has,” he said. “So, it’s not an environment where I would be enticed to raise because of amazing conditions, and we’re gladly in a position where we don’t need to.”