Microsoft couldn’t compete with Twitch. The streaming platform Mixer will shut down on July 22 as Microsoft plans a new partnership with Facebook Gaming.
Mixer launched back in 2016 and it had one goal - to become as popular as Twitch. The streaming platform by Microsoft tried to gain fame by attracting some of the most viewed streamers like the Fortnite star Tyler "Ninja" Blevins and the former CS:GO pro Michael "shroud" Grzesiek. Despite their best efforts and the big deals with the stars Mixer wasn’t able to compete with the likes of Youtube, Twitch, or even Facebook Gaming. Now in a quick turn of events, Mixer will transition to Facebook Gaming.
All existing Mixer streamers with a partner status will receive the same benefits at Facebook’s platform. It’s certainly a strategic move that will allow Microsoft to further their goal of reaching 2 million viewers, something they failed to do with Mixer. So what’s the endgame? It’s xCloud.
For anyone unfamiliar, xCloud is Microsoft’s cloud gaming service which is still not officially released. The initial plan was to make mixer as big as Twitch, but now xCloud will be connected to Facebook Gaming instead. Once the service is up viewers will be able to instantly play most of the popular games an idea similar to that of Google and their Stadia. In quite the short notice, Mixer will be shutting down in less than a month from now. In an interview with The Verge, Microsoft’s head of gaming, Phil Spencer commented:
We started pretty far behind, in terms of where Mixer’s monthly active viewers were compared to some of the big players out there. I think the Mixer community is really going to benefit from the broad audience that Facebook has through their properties, and the abilities to reach gamers in a very seamless way through the social platform Facebook has.When we think about xCloud and the opportunity to unlock gameplay for 2 billion players, we know it’s going be critically important that our services find large audiences and Facebook clearly gives us that opportunity.
When the calendar hits July 22, users trying to visit Mixer, and any of the associated apps will be redirected to the FacebookGaming page. It’s still uncertain when exactly we’ll see the xCloud come to life though. As a result of all the changes, top streamers like Ninja and shroud will be able to either make a return to Twitch or find a new home with FacebookGaming. Something tells us we’ll see the entertainers choose Twitch, as to this day it's still the most popular streaming platform.
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