massively multiplayer online games, but Beyond Gaming takes that to games that have traditionally existed solely on consoles. Other companies serve as forums for video game console-based tournaments, but Legeza says they largely rely on players to input their own scores on the honor system.
Beyond Gaming’s technology currently has the ability to work with nearly 30 gaming titles, including the popular Halo series and EA Sports titles like Madden NFL and FIFA Soccer, and can work on Playstation 2 and 3, and Xbox 360. The company is also working to add functionality for Nintendo’s Wii console.
Beyond Gaming has raised about $232,0000 in funding, including a $100,000 investment from Toledo-based Rocket Ventures, and stands to get another $150,000 from the firm based on certain milestones, Legeza says. He also says he is working on raising additional funding.
Beyond Gaming users can enlist in the social networking component of the site only for free, or they can pay $7.95 per month to participate in the online community and an unlimited number of tournaments and head-to-head matches. Because it doesn’t take a cut from the winnings of individual tournaments, Beyond Gaming can avoid tangling with local laws against bookmaking, Legeza says. The company is working now on marketing the community and driving up traffic. “We’re leveraging the huge following of people addicted to console games,” he says.
