3D and VR livestreaming Twitch rival receives $3.5m in funding

New 3D livestreaming platform for eSports has just secured $3.5m in seed funding.

Boom.tv is currently available for League of Legends and Counter-Strike: GO. The investment will allow the firm to reach the 'top ten eSports titles' and roll out to the 'wider eSports community'. The funding was secured by First Round Capital, Tandem Capital, Crosscut Ventures, Betaworks, Boost VC and BITKRAFT eSports Ventures.

Boom.tv says its technology allows for instant replays and multiple angles, and that no prior integration from game developers is required. The firm says that its VR app will allow streamers to broadcast in VR, too, with consumers able to watch using the 'headset of their choice'.

The technology sounds impressive on paper, but livestreaming is one of  the most competitive areas in gaming today. Twitch is comfortably the market leader, with competition from YouTube Gaming, Facebook Live, Hitbox.tv, Dingit.tv, Azubu and now the Microsoft-owned Beam.

"Improved broadcast technology was the tentpole around which professional sports mushroomed," said Boom.tv CEO Sumit Gupta in a statement. "Our mission is to put 3D technology in the hands of millions of gamers and revolutionize the way eSports content is produced and consumed."

Chris Fralic, partner at First Round Capital added: "While we've seen piecemeal solutions in this space previously, the technology behind Boom.tv is transformational, and their team of 30 engineers have both the passion and know-how to build an end-to-end solution that will completely enhance the eSports spectator experience, particularly in VR."