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'Go Go Bots' is a Facebook Gaming exclusive from Ustwo
Ustwo has released a fun new mobile game on Facebook.
Ninja's first Mixer series is a weekly 'Fortnite' competition
Streaming legend Ninja is running a Mixer series, Ninja Battles, that will see top 'Fortnite' players square off in a weekly competition.
Valorant's wild success on Twitch wasn't an accident
For Valorant’s Twitch debut, Riot Games partnered with “multiple hundreds” of influencers from around the globe. None of them were paid.
Mixer gives every streaming partner $100 to help during COVID-19
Numerous internet services have offered help to creators who may be struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Microsoft's Mixer might have one of the simpler solutions: direct cash infusions. The livestreaming service is giving all of its partnered members $100 to help them get through any financial hardships while the outbreak lasts. Given that anyone sufficiently committed to Mixer to reach partner status depends at least partly on the service to make a living, that may be a welcome gesture.
Twitch viewing soared 23 percent in March
It won't shock you to hear that livestreaming services are seeing an upswing in viewership due to the COVID-19 pandemic keeping people at home, but now it's clear just what kind of effect the outbreak has had on viewing habits. Streamlabs and Stream Hatchet have determined that watch hours surged 23 percent between February and March, to just over 1.2 billion. Other services saw increased demand as well, but their gains were relatively slight. Microsoft's Mixer saw a 15.9 percent gain, while YouTube's gaming streams saw a 10.7 percent boost. Facebook Gaming saw a modest 3.8 percent increase.
Mixer's new homepage showcases streamers it poached from Twitch
Mixer has recruited its fair share of former big-name Twitch streamers, and it wants to make sure you see them. Microsoft's livestreaming service has introduced a reworked homepage that includes "more focus" for featured material, including broadcasters -- if you didn't already know that Ninja, Ewok and Shroud were exclusive to Mixer, you will after this. You'll still get AI-guided recommendations if you'd rather discover creators that reflect your personal tastes.
Xbox One gets another simplified dashboard redesign
Microsoft revealed last month it's been working on a whole host of changes for the February 2020 Xbox One Update, and now they're finally rolling out. The biggest change is yet another new Home interface -- so if you've got downloads set to install automatically you'll notice things are different as soon as it hits. Twists have been removed to make room for dedicated rows for Xbox Game Pass, Mixer, Xbox Community and Microsoft Store, and you'll be able to add or remove rows however you wish. Over in My Games & Apps, meanwhile, things have also been pared back for easier navigation.
Drake will stream exclusively on Twitch rival Caffeine
Live-streaming platform Caffeine entered an already-crowded marketplace last year, but with a focus on celebrity-orientated channels (Offset was the first major star to join) it aimed to offer something a little different to the likes of Twitch and Mixer. Now it's scored a massive win, signing an exclusive multi-year livestreaming partnership with Drake.
Ninja's management firm is 'actively seeking to diversify' its talent pool
Bridget Davidson helped establish the League of Legends Championship Series nine years ago. Back then, competitors brought their own equipment to world-class tournaments and Riot Games wasn't sure if anyone would tune in to the online stream. The premiere LCS finals lasted three days in June 2011, and nearly 1.7 million unique viewers watched the show online. It was considered a success and Davidson continued to help Riot grow its esports venture. Eight years later, the 2019 League of Legends World Championship drew in a peak concurrent viewer count of 44 million, with an average of 21.8 million online audience members per minute. Hologram music groups performed at the opening ceremony and Louis Vuitton designed the trophy case.
Facebook Gaming viewership skyrocketed in 2019
Twitch has a bit less of a stranglehold over game streaming than it did a few years ago, and Facebook Gaming in particular seems to be on the rise. In December 2019, it had an 8.5 percent market share (i.e. the total time people spent watching those two services, Mixer and YouTube Gaming) compared with 3.1 percent a year earlier, according to data from StreamElements and Arsenal.gg. That represents a 210 percent increase in monthly viewership year-over-year to just over 102 million hours watched.
How Twitch started to lose its grip on video game streaming
For the longest time, Twitch was the undisputed champ of video game live streaming. The Amazon-owned platform has the highest number of 'broadcasters' and, more importantly, viewers watching, chatting and donating in real-time. For most full-time streamers, switching to any other platform felt like economic suicide. Then, on August 1st, the most popular and recognizable gamer in the West, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, signed an exclusive streaming deal with Mixer, a rival platform owned by Microsoft. "I'm going to get back to the streaming roots," he said in a short video posted on Twitter. "That's what this is all about. I love you guys, and obviously [my] streams are just going to be the exact same. I'm looking forward to seeing you guys on the platform."
Twitch spends big to keep top streamers DrLupo, TimTheTatman and LIRIK
Begun, the streaming wars have. In a year filled with high-profile defections to rival services, Twitch has been forced to put down the cash to keep its top personalities on the platform. In an announcement, Benjamin "DrLupo" Lupo, Saqib "LIRIK" Zahid and Timothy "TimTheTatman" Betar, confirmed they will remain with the Amazon-owned streaming service after signing "multi-year content deals."
Mixer streamers can limit clip-making to their regular viewers
Ask livestreamers about their gripes and they'll probably complain about the glut of user-made clips. It's not uncommon to see multiple clips for the same event, seemingly pointless clips or even creepy clips that take moments out of context. Microsoft might have a way to prevent those junk videos in the future, however. Partnered Mixer streamers now have the option of restricting clip creation to people who've achieved a minimum rank in their channels. If you're a broadcaster, you could use this to limit clips to regular viewers and keep out the trolls.
'Fortnite' star Ewok is the latest Twitch streamer to switch to Mixer
Yet another prominent streamer is leaving Twitch for Microsoft's Mixer. Soleil "Faze Ewok" Wheeler announced on Thursday that she will stream her upcoming Fortnite play sessions exclusively on the platform starting "soon."
YouTube streamers have another way to make money: selling stickers
Streamers on Twitch and Mixer have a number of ways to make money, including subscriptions, bits/embers and donations. YouTube has monetization options too, such as paid subscriptions and Super Chat (i.e. paid comments pinned to the top of a chat). One of the latest is animated stickers viewers can buy to show their support for creators.
Top Twitch streamer CouRage jumps to YouTube
In the wake of several high-profile streamer departures from Twitch to Mixer, Jack "CouRage" Dunlop is also jumping ship. But instead of going to Microsoft's platform, CouRage will stream exclusively on YouTube.
Mixer drops its subscription price to $4.99 -- the same as Twitch
After snagging some top streamers -- starting with Ninja -- the latest change Mixer is making in its battle with Twitch is to subscription pricing. The Microsoft-owned platform announced on Thursday that it's changing subscription pricing -- a feature fans can use to support their favorite streamers while obtaining special privileges in the chat room -- from $5.99 per month to $4.99 per month. That puts its subscriptions at the same amount as Twitch's initial level, which may make it more appealing for pro streamers considering a change to move over, since their existing subscribers won't have to pay extra. Subscribers who auto renew should see the lower rate, and in another tweet the service said that those who subscribed within the last week can request an adjustment. Good news everyone! Starting today all subscriptions will now be changing from $5.99 to $4.99 going forward when subscribing to any of your favorite Partners! 💙 pic.twitter.com/bFVLF4YSdU — Mixer (@WatchMixer) October 30, 2019 It's unclear how this affects how much streamers can make, although the Mixer support site indicated that the split depended on their particular partnership contract, after PayPal and Stripe processing fees are deducted. That's in addition to payments Mixer provides in place of advertising, as well as other options like Embers, direct purchasing and Xbox Game Pass purchase credits. Twitch, on the other hand, has ads that help pay partners, higher levels of subscriptions and Bits that viewers can buy and distribute. Streaming is not just a lifestyle for those who are good at it, it's a business, and if Mixer is going to continue to peel off top talent, it will need to guarantee them ways to keep making money. Streamers like Shroud and KingGothalion have followed Ninja's movement over from Twitch -- we'll see if that continues.
Gothalion is the latest big Twitch streamer to switch to Mixer
Add another major streamer to the ranks of those jumping from Twitch to Mixer. Well-known Destiny streamer Cory "Gothalion" Michael (aka KingGothalion) has announced that he will exclusively stream on Mixer starting on October 29th. He explained it as not just a boost to the channel, but a "partnership" that would help gaming as a whole. It would offer "platform-level input" in addition to getting backing from a heavyweight like Microsoft, he added. As with earlier converts, Mixer is offering free one-month subscriptions to early viewers.
Twitch star Shroud follows Ninja to Microsoft's Mixer
Tyler "Ninja" Blevins surprised many when he left Twitch to stream full time on Microsoft's Mixer platform. Now another major streamer is making the same leap: Michael "Shroud" Grzesiek.
Mixer co-founder quits to work on lasers
Matt Salsamendi was just 18 years old when he co-founded Mixer, the site which has grown to be the third most popular video game streaming platform. Now, he's announced he is moving on from the company to take on new projects.
