How Middleware Helped Generation Esports Slash Observability Costs & Improve MTTR by 75%

With Middleware, Generation Esports has optimized their infrastructure, allowing them to focus on their core mission: using esports to engage and inspire students across the world.

Founded in 2012, Generation Esports is an EdTech company that leverages esports to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. By offering a competitive platform and in-school curriculum, they aim to promote STEM education, life skills, and mental health awareness among students.

Over the last decade, the company has grown to become one of the largest esports platforms globally, with over 200,000 registered users and 5,000 partner schools. However, the company’s rapid growth in user base and technological complexity created operational challenges that needed an equally robust solution.

Scaling Infrastructure with Limited Observability

As Generation Esports grew, the increasing demands on their microservices architecture and infrastructure meant that monitoring and troubleshooting became more complex.

To address this, the company turned to Datadog for observability and monitoring. However, Datadog's “overwhelming” user interface and extensive features made it difficult to navigate and configure effectively.

The cost of Datadog also became a concern for the cost-conscious startup. Aaron explained, "We weren't getting the value we expected from Datadog. It was one of the first items we looked at when trying to cut down expenses." Despite its toolset, the value extracted was limited due to integration and utilization complexities.

The team faced further challenges with Datadog's customer support, which was often unresponsive. Elijah noted, "We ran into multiple configuration issues that Datadog's support team wasn't able to resolve quickly. At one point, we were even told to remove sources from the platform or face an account closure, which wasn't very customer-friendly."

As per the team, Datadog's unreliable alerting system was another nail in the coffin! Aaron recounted, "Sometimes, we wouldn't receive alerts fast enough when something went down, which delayed our response times and increased the impact of system failures."

Faced with these operational inefficiencies, Generation Esports sought alternative observability tools that were cost-effective, easier to implement, use, and maintain. This led them to explore Middleware as a solution.

Making the Switch to Middleware

Right off the bat, Aaron realized that Middleware was designed specifically for cloud-native observability and offered a compelling value proposition.

But cost was only one part of the equation. Middleware’s onboarding experience and its user-friendly interface also stood out. Elijah, who led the technical implementation, praised the onboarding process: “The integration with Middleware was significantly easier and less time-consuming compared to Datadog. We received real-time support from the Middleware team via Slack, which made the entire experience seamless.”

Efficient, Reliable, Cost-Effective

By transitioning from Datadog to Middleware, Generation Esports experienced several key benefits, which had a substantial impact on their day-to-day operations and long-term strategic goals:

1. Cost Reduction

The most immediate and tangible benefit of switching to Middleware was the cost savings.

This was especially crucial for a startup operating in a competitive industry where cost control is essential for survival and growth.

Elijah also noted that they had been using AWS CloudWatch alerts in conjunction with Datadog for certain metrics, adding to the overall observability expense. With Middleware, they were able to consolidate their observability needs into one platform, which further reduced the costs.

2. Operational Efficiency

Middleware also improved Generation Esports’ operational efficiency, particularly in terms of monitoring and alerting. The company runs much of its infrastructure on Kubernetes (K8) clusters, which means monitoring these clusters is crucial to maintaining uptime and ensuring smooth operations.

Before Middleware, Elijah explained that he had to log into Datadog and manually check for system health issues almost every day. Middleware provided the team with real-time insights into their K8 clusters, helping them monitor key metrics such as CPU load, memory utilization, and pod performance.

The efficiency gains were significant! Elijah estimated that manual monitoring tasks were reduced by more than 75%, freeing up his time to focus on more strategic initiatives. “Instead of doing daily checks, I now just monitor alerts via Slack, which has saved me a lot of time,” he noted.

3. Improved System Reliability and Faster MTTR

With Middleware’s alerting system in place, Generation Esports was able to detect and resolve infrastructure issues much faster.

Elijah echoed this sentiment, noting that Middleware’s near real-time alerts allowed him to investigate and resolve problems much faster. One critical use case involved monitoring a stats processing system, which could be resource-intensive during periods of high user activity. Middleware’s ability to track resource usage in real time allowed Generation Esports to redistribute pods and balance the load, preventing potential crashes.

Additionally, Middleware’s alerting system provided instant notifications whenever a pod was crashing or being evicted, enabling the team to address these issues immediately. This level of visibility was something they lacked with Datadog, where core system pods would often go unmonitored.

4. Resource Optimization

By providing detailed insights into resource consumption across their Kubernetes clusters, Middleware enabled Generation Esports to optimize node provisioning and prevent over- or under-utilization.

During a migration from AWS to Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Middleware’s observability data played a key role in reprovisioning resources.

5. Customer Support and Feedback Loop

One of the most significant differentiators between Middleware and Datadog was the level of customer support. Aaron emphasized that Middleware’s team was “incredibly responsive” to feedback and often implemented requested features or fixes within days. “That was a breath of fresh air compared to Datadog, where our feedback often went into a black hole,” he said.

Elijah also appreciated the personalized attention the Middleware team provided.“I have a monthly sync with one of their team members, and it’s something I actually look forward to. They listen to our concerns and actively work with us to make the platform better,” he said.

Built by Developers for Developers

For Generation Esports, Middleware has proven to be more than just an observability tool — it’s become a strategic partner that has empowered them to scale, innovate, and reduce operational overhead. By delivering immediate, actionable insights, reducing manual intervention, and significantly lowering costs, the platform has transformed how Generation Esports approaches system monitoring and infrastructure management. As Aaron eloquently put it,“Middleware is the startups’ observability platform—cost-effective and incredibly supportive.”

Looking ahead, Generation Esports is now equipped with the tools they need to grow without constraint, knowing that their infrastructure is supported by a scalable, responsive, and efficient observability platform. With Middleware as their partner, they are positioned to continue leading the way in using esports to engage, educate, and inspire the next generation of students through gaming.