Esports juggernaut Cloud9 touts Microsoft Azure partnership with goofy videos

What you need to know

  • Esports team Cloud9 is now using Microsoft Azure to help analyze data and give them a strategic boost.
  • Cloud9 is using Azure to study enemy movements, team compositions, and more.
  • To mark the start of the partnership, Microsoft and the team have released two humorous videos.

Microsoft announced today that Cloud9, one of the biggest esports teams out there, is now using Azure to help its players strategize and prepare for their matches. As part of the announcement, Cloud9 and Microsoft also released two humorous videos talking about how Azure is helping them.

Cloud9 is using Azure to monitor and analyze everything from how patch changes impact the game, to enemy movements and team compositions.

"Aggregating various data sources using Microsoft Azure Cloud Services, Cloud9 is able to quickly identify trends that result from these patch changes—like champion selection, win rates, builds, and more," Microsoft says. "By funneling that data through a central repository, Cloud9 can tag and index games from each patch—ultimately creating a library of relevant videos that Cloud9's players and coaches can use to see how competitors with the highest win rate are playing and building their champion."

Cloud9 is also using Azure to compile information that can help them gain an edge in the drafting process. In checking character picks and bans, Cloud9 can gain some insights into what enemy teams are likely to draft, ultimately helping them strengthen their own drafts.

Cloud9's use of Azure is an interesting look at how the service can be tapped to do things outside of the business market. For more on the partnership, check out the videos Microsoft and Cloud9 have released.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl