Today, event platform start.gg announced over a Medium blog post that the company has returned to being an independently run platform, splitting from Microsoft after many years of being a subsidiary. Per the blog post:
We’re excited to announce that, starting today, Start.gg will be returning to its roots as an independent company supporting grassroots and professional esports communities. This transition marks an exciting new chapter for us, as we continue to build on the strong foundation we’ve established over the years.
We’re incredibly thankful to Microsoft and Xbox for the years of support. Together, we’ve enhanced our online presence and capabilities, bringing you the best tournament platform for communities like Super Smash Bros, Rocket League, and Pokémon.
As we move forward, Start.gg will be led by original team members from smash.gg, including the platform’s co-founder, grassroots tournament organizers, and engineers who are passionate about improving the platform for the communities we support. Start.gg will continue to operate as a self-service esports platform, and you can expect your current and future tournaments to proceed as planned.
With this update comes a platform fee that the company will be implementing as part of their 2025 Balance Patch article:
To ensure our long-term health and growth, we will be implementing a registration fee that’s applied to paid registrations transacted through our platform. You can learn more about this Platform Fee, as well as some exciting new features we’re launching soon, in our latest Balance Patch article. This change will help us maintain and improve the services we offer, allowing us to better support the esports communities we’ve built together.
start.gg is a cool little place to find ongoing eSports competitions near you and globally—give it a look! Who knows, you might just be able to quit your day job and play video games for monies instead.
