PlayVS partners with Omnic to help gamers play smarter with AI feedback

PlayVS has partnered with Omnic.AI, a self-service platform that helps gamers player smarter with AI feedback.

The partnership allows players to receive an analysis of their in-game performance, matches them with pro players that have similar gaming styles, and provides them with detailed match analysis data, said Jon Chapman, PlayVS CEO, in an interview with GamesBeat.

The goal for PlayVS and Omnic.AI is to help students develop key transferable skills including critical thinking, adaptability, and effective communication. This is aimed at redefining the next generation of gamers, helping them reach their full potential. 

PlayVS is focused on middle school and high school esports leagues, and it is targeting such students with the Omnic.AI analytics tools and insights. Back in September, it launched a digital-first esports competition platform to widen its reach.

Focuses on esports player performance data and analytics, Omnic.AI uses AI and machine learning to gather insights and a detailed analysis of gameplay for users. The flagship platform, Omnic Forge, analyzes gaming footage and provides players with feedback and statistics to improve their performance in titles including Valorant, Fortnite, Rocket League, Overwatch2 and soon Madden.

Omnic.AI provides two kinds of insights. The first is AI coaching insights, which provides tips on team communication, performance, and on the match. An example is here on the website.

The other type is advanced analytics, which can help with things such as aim analysis, match recap and stats to other players, and round by round performance summaries. Omnic.AI also has the AI Chat, which is a personalized chatbot that helps with instant coaching advice, gameplay tips, etc., as well as customized results, based on your most recent analyzed match.

About 85% of coaches have seen improvement in communication skills among their players, according to last year’s Esports Impact Report from PlayVS. And 83% of coaches agree that their players have improved their leadership skills as a result of esports.

It also helps on a broader academic front. The companies also said 60% of coaches have found an improvement in grades and/or attendance among their players. About 45% of PlayVS students reported feeling more excited to go to school after joining an esports team. And 30% of students said they feel more committed to school and academics.

In this way, the partnership is about more than just playing games better.

“We made a decision earlier this year that we really wanted to find ways to continue to create a resource, and we’re calling it the PlayVS Collective that helps support our community of users, especially those in our leagues at schools,” Chapman said. “Those resources can be a lot of different things. They could be access to curriculum with the connections that can be made between gaming and STEM education.”

The PlayVS Collective refers to a thriving partner community that is focused on providing students, coaches and schools with the resources that enrich their esports and gaming experiences. 

It could also mean access to the community and infrastructure resources and the equipment a school needs to set up a competitive esports environment.

“The other dimension that we thought about was how we provide tools that optimize player performance,” said Chapman. “That’s where I got introduced to Shaun Meredith, the CEO of Omnic.Ai, a few months ago. He was really interested in offering their Omnic Forge product, which is essentially an AI tool that analyzes game performance in a number of titles that kids can play in our platform.”

The new partnership will bring this technology to PlayVS’ community of gamers at no cost to high school students, helping them gain a competitive edge in their scholastic leagues. 

Through Omnic, Forge players can upload five matches at a time and receive two insights per match. They can also match with pro players who share their gaming style and receive detailed match analysis data. PlayVS will also assist in the initial training of Omnic Forge AI through esports coaches that will consult on the platform’s insights.

“We’re excited to collaborate with PlayVS to bring our gaming analysis capabilities to a broader audience,” said Shaun Meredith, Omnic.AI CEO, in a statement. “This partnership aligns perfectly with our mission to help gamers improve their skills, win more games and have fun.” 

Omnic.AI was founded in 2021 in Maine by MIT alumnus and former nuclear engineer Meredith and former Apple director Chuck Goldman.

I asked what distinguishes Omnic.AI from the competition. The company said it is one of the first AI-driven platforms that provides analytics uniquely to competitive gaming, especially on the B2B level. The technology provides customizable insights for individual player performance as well as team performance, which is very interesting and attractive to scholastic teams.

Omnic is also focused on social impact, which is very aligned with PlayVS’ values. The Omnic.AI cofounders actually met while working together on a campaign to put a laptop in the hands of every middle school student and teacher in Maine. Their team is committed to bettering the lives of players, designers, coaches, etc. and furthering their careers and success, which is important to PlayVS as well. PlayVS’ mission is to increase accessibility to the positive benefits of esports for all students, so they are very much aligned in their vision of how they can build the industry further, the company said.

PlayVS wants to make esports more accessible to youth, while also providing students with valuable skill building opportunities in science, technology engineering and math (STEM) and leadership. Through its partnership with Omnic.AI, PlayVS aims to enhance the player experience by helping them better understand their in-game performance and integrate real-time feedback.

This approach not only improves their gameplay, but also equips them with transferable skills such as critical thinking, adaptability, and effective communication—skills that are essential both in and out of the game.

“Teaming up with Omnic.AI represents a significant leap forward in how we support and develop young gamers,” said Chapman. “Their innovative technology will help our community refine their skills and stand out among other gamers, empowering them to continue to refine their craft and reach new heights in and out of the world of esports.” 

By offering advanced analytical tools and skill development resources, PlayVS ensures that students are equipped to excel in esports and gain valuable life skills that will serve them beyond the game.

Students who are 13 years and older who are interested in using Omnic Forge can sign up here. 

“We’re putting the tool into this broader resource of the PlayVS collective. And we think it’s exciting,” Chapman said. “The application of AI has dominated headlines for the last two years. It’s cool to see this application coming to competitive gaming and esports.”

Meredith has an engineering background, and obviously, by the way and he had been experimenting with AI models with gaming. He created a model that could could help analyze player performance and give comparative results. It’s almost like an AI generated scouting report, especially for some of the more competitive esports universities.”

It takes a few months to model and learn a new title that the tool can be used with.

“We are always looking for new ways to find more detailed stats and comprehensive player and team profiles, and this tool helps us do that,” Chapman said. “We can assess a team’s talent and we can set up a competitive balanced schedule in a state or regional league.”

It also helps build a player and team profile. PlayVS has 85 people now.

“The AI tool is part of our strategy to create more and more resources to for our community, to help grow competitive gaming esports among high schools and middle schools,” Chapman said.