Legionfarm, a#nbsp;YC-backed company, is#nbsp;looking to#nbsp;bring coaches to#nbsp;the competitive gaming world. Esports teams at#nbsp;the very top often have coaches, but the rest of#nbsp;the massive competitive gaming scene has to#nbsp;find a#nbsp;way to#nbsp;improve on#nbsp;their own, either via sheer time played or#nbsp;with creative new training platforms.
There is#nbsp;a#nbsp;huge demand for skilled teammates that can help you hone your skills, while at#nbsp;the same time, there is#nbsp;a#nbsp;broad community of#nbsp;near-pro gamers who haven’t landed a#nbsp;spot on#nbsp;an#nbsp;esports team and want to#nbsp;earn a#nbsp;living with their skills.
Legionfarm is#nbsp;a#nbsp;platform built to#nbsp;solve both problems.
The company was founded by#nbsp;Alex Belyankin, who is#nbsp;a#nbsp;former pro gamer and was once in#nbsp;the top .01 percent of#nbsp;World of#nbsp;Warcraft players.
Competitive gamers can sign up#nbsp;to#nbsp;become a#nbsp;coach on#nbsp;the platform, going through a#nbsp;process that looks at#nbsp;their stats within a#nbsp;particular title. Less than the top 0.1 percent are accepted as#nbsp;coaches and told how to#nbsp;manage sessions, including asking the customer’s goal at#nbsp;the beginning of#nbsp;the session.
On#nbsp;the other side, gamers can pay to#nbsp;play with one (or#nbsp;two) of#nbsp;these coaches in#nbsp;hour-long increments. Legionfarm allows users to#nbsp;specify if#nbsp;they want to#nbsp;play with two coaches, one coach and a#nbsp;friend, or#nbsp;one coach and another customer.
Users can also determine what kind of#nbsp;lobby they want to#nbsp;enter, such as#nbsp;a#nbsp;public or#nbsp;a#nbsp;ranked lobby.
Here’s how it#nbsp;works.
When a#nbsp;user buys a#nbsp;session on#nbsp;the website, they are given instructions to#nbsp;join a#nbsp;Discord bot, which puts them in#nbsp;game chat with the coaches and asks for their gamertag for that specific title. The coaches then invite the customer to#nbsp;a#nbsp;lobby, and fire up#nbsp;the match.
To#nbsp;be#nbsp;clear, Legionfarm coaches are not coming from the same pool of#nbsp;streamers and pro gamers we’ve come to#nbsp;know and cheer on#nbsp;in#nbsp;the esports world. Rather, Legionfarm seeks out the very best and most skilled amateur players based on#nbsp;the publisher’s rankings and stats to#nbsp;become coaches. These are people who otherwise aren’t making money via Twitch or#nbsp;a#nbsp;salary via an#nbsp;esports organization, but are still in#nbsp;the top 0.1 percent of#nbsp;gamers by#nbsp;skill.
In#nbsp;other words, Legionfarm is creating pro gamers, rather than hiring them.
The average cost of#nbsp;a#nbsp;session is $#nbsp;16/hour, with Legionfarm taking half of#nbsp;the revenue and the rest going to#nbsp;the coach.
Legionfarm currently offers nine titles to#nbsp;choose from, including Apex Legends, Fortnite, CoD: Modern Warfare 2019, League of#nbsp;Legends, and Destiny 2. The company has run more than 300,000 gaming sessions with its 7,000 coaches.
Legionfarm is#nbsp;currently available via the web and through a Facebook Messenger bot, with plans to#nbsp;launch an#nbsp;app soon. Founder and CEO Alex Belyankin also teased new functionality that would allow Twitch viewers to#nbsp;request a#nbsp;session with the streamer directly from the chat.
Legionfarm has raised a#nbsp;total of $#nbsp;1.7 million from TMT Investments and Y#nbsp;Combinator, and will present at#nbsp;Y#nbsp;Combinator’s upcoming demo day.
Published by TechCrunch#nbsp;— on#nbsp;March 12, 2020