Acer Unveils Planet9, a Next-Gen Esports Platform

BERLIN, Sept. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Acer today unveiled Planet9, a next-generation esports platform, at its next@acer global press conference. Planet9 is an open community that allows gamers to build their team, train for excellence and challenge for victory. It is currently in closed beta, and will enter open beta on January 30, 2020.

"Planet9 is a next-generation esports platform that encompasses what competitive and casual gamers need to level up and participate in esports below the professional tier," said Andrew Chuang, General Manager, Esports Services, IT Products Business, Acer Inc. "Building on Acer's strength in hardware, software, and services, Planet9 will provide insights to complete the experience for gamers around the world."

Planet9 opens up esports to amateur and casual players seeking to participate, allowing them to learn from the pros, understand their strengths and weaknesses, connect with fellow gamers in the community, and participate in online tournaments.

Build Your Team

The foundation of Planet9 is its community features, which allows gamers to meet and group with fellow gamers who are on the same path. They can add friends, follow people they are interested in, and receive recommendations on who they can play with based on game played and complementing skills. For teams, functions such as a chatroom and sharing of game tactics allow the group to bond and learn from each other.

Train for Excellence

Planet9 provides a series of features to help gamers level up their skills, whether to hire a coach to give individual guidance, play alongside veteran gamers, clock some more hours with friends at similar levels, or see advanced game statistics to track their performance.

• Coach: The Coach feature allows gamers to learn from pro players and skilled gamers. Gamers can select their ideal coach based on game statistics, language, rating, and hourly rate. Coaches can review the gamer's game statistics to tailor-make a course, enhanced by screen-sharing, video/voice chat, and VOD upload features to playback those moments that need perfecting.
• Carry: Gamers can work together with like-minded gamers to rank up while learning and improving their skills in the process. Hosts can embed their Twitch or YouTube livestreams to attract gamers and fans to team up with them for a carry session.
• Game Statistics: All of the player's gaming statistics are presented in a visualized, eye-catching dashboard. The data on wins, losses, kills, deaths, items purchased, gold farmed, etc. are used to pair the gamer with the most ideal coach and offer insights on ways to improve.
• Scrims: Planet9 offers interestingly competitive ways to practice or challenge in battlefields - either with the clan (team) or tribe (multiple clans). The Clan Scrims feature allows clans to request a scrim challenge against other clans, while the Tribe Wars feature allows tribes to participate in extensive competitions being set up every week for bonus and benefits on Planet9.

Challenge for Victory

Planet9 can host tournaments from small to large scale, sponsored or official, and can be joined for a chance at fame, glory, and prizes. The platform pairs players of similar skill-level for matches or tournaments to ensure fair competition. When enough wins are accumulated, rewards such as gifts and prizes can be redeemed.

Gamers who wish to participate in the closed beta may sign up at planet9.gg starting from 1:30 pm, September 4, 2019 (CEST).

About Acer

Founded in 1976, today Acer is one of the world's top ICT companies and has a presence in over 160 countries. As Acer looks into the future, it is focused on enabling a world where hardware, software and services will infuse with one another to open up new possibilities for consumers and businesses alike. From service-oriented technologies to the Internet of Things to gaming and virtual reality, Acer's 7,000+ employees are dedicated to the research, design, marketing, sale, and support of products and solutions that break barriers between people and technology. Please visit www.acer.com for more information.

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SOURCE Acer