MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
A Berlin startup which produces analytical tools to improve player performance in eSports has secured€2m in seed investment.
The funding round for Dojo Madness, founded by Jens Hillger of ESL/Turtle Entertainment fame, was contributed to by several large investors including the London Venture Partners and Kristian Segerstrale, CEO of mobile MOBA Vainglory developer Super Evil Megacorp.
Dojo’s first product LOLSUMO, launched two months ago, is a companion app for League of Legends which provides recommended skill and item builds for a given match up. Using what the company describes a machine learning approach, data from thousands of matches is analysed to find the most common and successful builds against specific champion line-ups.
The focus of the startup will now continue in a similar vein onto their web project BRUCE.GG, which is currently in closed beta. The site offers the same sort of data-driven tactical insight into matches as SUMOLOL, however is currently only active for Dota 2 – with plans to expand to CS:GO and LoL in the future.
BRUCE.GG will be debuted at next week’s ESL One Frankfurt, where it will be ‘seamlessly integrated’ into the spectator experience for near real-time stats and analysis.
"The data-enriched video and coaching features of BRUCE.GG will benefit newcomers, amateurs and pro-teams alike, offering sophisticated match analysis, tactical insight and advice as well as all the top scenes from their matches," stated Dojo Madness CEO Jens Hilgers."This enables players to get valuable data and feedback in near real-time, which is not available anywhere else. With our SUMO apps, BRUCE.GG and upcoming products in our pipeline we are very excited to contribute to the continued evolution of the eSports ecosystem.”
As the eSports industry expands and primary products such as teams and tournaments become saturated markets, companion products such as this are becoming valuable investment opportunities. The appeal to both high-level play and casual players also spans the entire breadth of the audience.
