Case 2: Cloud9 takes esports to the next level (Edited from the original May 19, 2019. Retrieved March, 2021) A legendary name in the esports community, Cloud9 has excelled at many video game titles across esports, but none more so than League of Legends. After a string of second-place finishes, Cloud9 finally became champions at the 2020 League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) Spring Split. After the dominant performance where they finished the season with a remarkable 17-1 record, Cloud9 has continued to dominate on the rift with new players and new coaches. One major factor in Cloud9 reaching the next level is their commitment to using data and technology to find insights that can help their players and coaches get the competitive edge. Enjoyed by millions of players around the world, League of Legends is a dynamic game that has grown over the years to take center stage in esports. Even though the multiplayer online battle arena game has been around for a decade, mastering it takes an ongoing investment of time, skill-building, and developing an impressive knowledge of the game. Theres no shortage of data in League of Legends, including game character champion selection, win rates, builds, and historical team drafting strategies. The ultimate challenge is how to leverage the data to find the competitive edge. Cloud9 collaborated with Microsoft to develop solutions that allow coaches and players to train, draft, recruit, and play at championship level. Using the power of Microsoft Azure, Cloud9s Game Insights Platform dynamically takes in information from a variety of sourcesincluding the games own software and, more impressively, from actual video of matches. Using computer vision to create millions of data points, the system can track the movements of all 10 players throughout a match and draw critical insights that Cloud9 players and coaches can leverage during their match preparation. Driving this new effort, Cloud9s lead data scientist Halee Mason has been critical to the teams success. A diamond-level League of Legends player herself, Halee and her colleague Danny Brady have paired an intimate understanding of the game with in-depth data analysis, helping Cloud9 with everything from champion selection to scrim feedback. Throughout the week, the players and coaches consult the Cloud9 Power BI dashboard to review which champions their opponents are competing against and who they've historically drafted. Before implementing the dashboard, players and coaches used to search websites for hours to glean similar insights. Providing Cloud9 players and coaches with these trends and patterns allows the team to focus on preparing and applying these insights to anticipate their opponents next move.

Assigned Question Response

What is the key issue in the case? (5marks)

Develop and explain 3 potential solutions for the identified issue or challenge. (10 marks)

How does the opportunity for technological innovations align with the business purpose? (5 marks)

What are the risks and benefits in using the technology as a solution? (15 marks)

What opportunities and threats exist in the case project in this market? Provide and relate at least one related example from other case stories from class content. (15 marks)