Xsplit company acquires social service Player.me and tournament platform Challonge

The firm behind the Xsplit game broadcasting tool is expanding its presence as a platform company once again.

SplitmediaLabs has acquired Player.me and Challonge as part of its strategy to connect with gamers around the world. This is part of the company’s $10 million investment into various aspects of the gaming business. Player.me is a social network for gaming fans. It is a way for people to talk about what they’re playing and to see what others are saying about upcoming releases. Challonge is an esports tournament site that makes it easy to start a bracket and manage it. Xsplit is already a popular tool in the $3.8 billion gaming-video market, but with these new acquisitions, SplitmediaLabs is looking to make a bigger play toward a wider business opportunity.

“We’ve worked hard on our Xsplit product for a few years,” SplitmediaLabs chief executive officer Henrik Levring said during a chat with GamesBeat. “We started to feel like we wanted to invest and do more. With our Xsplit product, we’ve always had a connection with our users. It’s been a one-to-one thing. Now, we have ambitions to do more than that.”

The Xsplit software, which enables consumers to broadcast their gameplay with professional-style tools, already attracts 200,000 new users each month. But by bringing together Player.me, Challonge, and Xsplit under one umbrella, SplitmediaLabs is hoping to give new Xsplit customers — among other gamers — ways to play with and discover one another.

“The acquisitions are the first, important step toward a grander vision where we have the chance to connect player and get them to connect with each other,” said Levring. “Player.me and Challonge fit extremely well with that.”

Levring explained that Player.me and Challonge will continue to operate as normal for now. The company plans to start tying all the products into one another over time with Player.me serving as the central hub. The company also expects to have more news to announce later this year as it continues its metamorphosis into the total platform for gamers.