Esports data startup Esports One has announced the closed beta for its fantasy esports platform, E1 Fantasy.
Due to go live on January 24th, E1 Fantasy will provide a fantasy league for the duration of Riot Games‘ LCS and LEC Spring Splits.
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10,000 users will gain early access to the platform, with places and shares given to those who refer the most people to signup. Upon launch of the beta, users will become a part of a “Founders League,” competing for a share of a prize pool valued at $100,000 (GBP77,000). Winnings from the prize pool will be distributed weekly to users, with a larger portion being awarded to overall season winners. Shares in Esports One are also on offer to the winners, with 50,000 shares going to 1st place, and places 2nd-10th receiving 5,000 shares each.
On the back-end, E1 Fantasy appears to use deep machine learning and complex data projections to assess and determine the value of players and in-game actions among other elements. This data is then aggregated into the platform’s points system and subsequent E1 Fantasy Elo Rating.
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The platform also appears to mesh elements from past draft and fantasy style platforms. There’s a mixture of daily fantasy, much like Draft Kings, as well as season-long fantasy competitions similar to Riot Games’ own fantasy competition from the early days of the LCS and LEC.
E1 Fantasy features a data hub for users to conduct their own analysis and inform their choices, and a content hub with guides, power rankings, and other information dedicated to users.
Esports Insider says: Esports One has certainly capitalised on consumer appetite for a fantasy league since Riot Games scuttled its own platform before the 2019 Spring Split. It’ll be interesting to track E1 Fantasy’s uptake, especially considering Riot Games had expressed interest in developing a new team-building game mode.