Xbox making e-sports widely available with new features

Some of the features are still in beta, but Microsoft is increasing its commitment to the burgeoning e-sports market.

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Xbox recently announced that it would make e-sports available to everybody through new updates and daily tournaments.

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With the launch of “Arena” to Preview members on Xbox Live, players will now have access to more e-sports than ever on their home consoles, including the fighting game Killer Instinct. According to Xbox, during Preview, users can compete in daily tournaments across Xbox One and the Xbox app (beta) on Windows 10 PC.

For now, Arena will only be available to Preview through practice tournaments on Xbox One in the United States. Later this month, Xbox plans to include additional features and expand to a wider audience. Users who wish to compete must first register on the tournament tab in the Killer Instinct game.

“We’re really excited about the potential of Arena and eager to hear your thoughts as we evolve it and make e-sports more accessible for gamers everywhere, regardless of skill-level,” read an Xbox statement.

As of Monday, users could also see new Looking for Group (LFG) features, which help individuals find partners for future gaming sessions. Additionally, when creating LFG posts, gamers can filter searches based on the language and also include what language they are speaking. Xbox also recently launched a Group Messaging feature on Xbox One and the Xbox app (beta) on Windows 10 PC for gamers to keep in touch with one another. In the near future, Group Messaging will work across the Xbox app (beta) on iOS and Android devices.