Esports AI startup Omnic.AI has announced a partnership with gaming arena operator Belong Gaming, focusing on the company’s UK and Europe arenas.
As a result of the partnership, Omnic’s product, Forge, will be available in Belong Gaming venues. In addition, Francis Thai, former VP at esports technology company Vindex, has joined Omnic as its new Chief Marketing Officer.
Omnic.ai is the company behind an AI coaching platform called Forge, which analyses esports match data through user-uploaded videos. Forge currently supports Fortnite and VALORANT, and can be used by players to provide information about potential areas of improvement.
The platform is aimed towards casual and professional players, as well as coaches. According to Thai, the company is now in its pre-seed stage and is looking to raise a seed round in the near future.
The partnership with Belong Gaming will see Forge included in the Belong Gaming service offering, allowing visitors to analyse their matches and receive personalised recommendations while playing VALORANT and Fortnite in Belong Gaming venues. The companies said in a release that the post-game analysis will help those who play the two games at Belong Gaming venues enhance their game sense and improve their gaming experience.
In addition to the new partnership, Omnic has announced the appointment of Francis Thai as its Chief Marketing Officer, taking over all consumer and B2B marketing initiatives. Thai is most known for his time at esports technology company Vindex, where he worked as the VP of Digital Marketing. Before Vindex, Thai spent three years at Andbox (now NYXL) as Head of Marketing.
Francis Thai, new Chief Marketing Officer for Omnic.AI, commented: “I’m excited to join the team at Omnic.AI. Shaun and Chuck are proven leaders and have a great eye for building businesses that are at the forefront of technology.
“As a lifelong gamer, I’m naturally passionate about anything that can help the gaming and esports industry grow. Omnic’s application of AI will benefit casuals, pros, creators, and production teams alike and I think that’s a huge step forward.”
Belong Gaming Arenas suspended its ceased its operations in the US in July, with multiple staff being laid off. However, the company’s UK and European services are still running. Earlier in the year, the LAN centre chain became a standalone property from Vindex after the latter was acquired by ESL FACEIT Group.
