If you were wondering where streamer Tyler "Ninja" Blevins would end up after Microsoft shut down Mixer, wonder no longer. Twitch and Ninja announced today that they two have signed an agreement that will see Ninja commit to the platform for a number of years to come. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but considering just how popular Ninja is, Twitch likely paid a hefty sum to lock him down.
Only a little over a year after announcing the free game, Twitch says that it will soon shutter its Twitch Sings live karaoke title. The decision was announced in a blog post this week, with Twitch stating that it will redirect its efforts toward 'broader tools and services that will help support and grow the entire music community on Twitch.' What does this mean for existing players?
This week the folks at Wizards of the Coast have unveiled their full collection of reveal locations for previews of Zendikar Rising! In addition to live streams, users will be able to drop in on the Card Image Gallery and "Variant Card Image Gallery" if they do so dare. This set is ready to roll with previews of cards and new sorts of gameplay starting on the first of September, 2020, going through September 9!
Amazon re-named the entity known as Twitch Prime, a subscription service to the Twitch game streaming system. This is not an upgrade, nor is it a downgrade - it's juts a name change. Amazon owns Twitch, and with the name change from Twitch Prime to the more Amazon-like "Prime Gaming", we see a glimpse of the future of the platform.
It seems that fans of the Shadow Warrior series have a big weekend ahead of them. Devolver Digital and Flying Wild Hog have officially announced Shadow Warrior 3, debuting a new teaser trailer alongside the announcement. While the teaser trailer doesn't show us any gameplay, we won't have to wait long before we see that either.
President Donald Trump has been banned from streaming platform Twitch over allegations that his account had presented 'hateful conduct,' according to the company. The move is the latest example of a social media company taking steps to address problematic content shared on official presidential accounts, following content notices on Twitter that prompted ire from the POTUS.
According to Microsoft's FAQ on the matter, Xbox One users that have been using Mixer for live streaming can continue to stream "using the Twitch app." This is in stark contrast with the rest of the releases from Microsoft today on the sunsetting of Mixer and their push for Facebook Gaming. It would appear that Facebook Gaming is not immediately prepared to take on Mixer gamers that have been playing on Xbox One - for that, Microsoft doesn't mention Facebook at all.
Earlier this month, Geoff Keighley announced a multi-month digital games festival of sorts called Summer Game Fest. Seemingly created to take the place of in-person shows that can't be held because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Summer Game Fest promises announcements and digital events from May to August. Today Twitch confirmed that it's getting in on the action with Summer Game Fest livestreams, which will be held on a new channel called twitchgaming.
Following the launch of Amazon Game Studios' team-based shooter Crucible earlier in the week, the company is back with the announcement of another game, this one seemingly destined for Twitch. Amazon has revealed Pac-Man Live Studio, a new game that's being made for Pac-Man's 40th anniversary. Pac-Man Live Studio will offer up three different modes, including one that will have players working together to complete mazes.
With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping a lot of us inside at the moment, there are a bunch of people who are turning to streaming for entertainment. One website that's probably seen a big uptick in traffic is Twitch, which got its start as a video game streaming website but has since branched out to many different categories. Last month, Amazon rolled out a new feature called Watch Parties to all Twitch partners in the US in direct response to the stay-at-home orders issued by governments across the country, and today, it's getting a pretty major expansion.
Following its initial announcement about the plan, Twitch has unveiled its new design for channel pages, introducing a customizable home where streamers can 'show the world who they are.' The company is rolling out the new design as of today, May 6, though Twitch says it has already been available to streamers for around a month so they could prepare ahead of the public launch.
Games Done Quick is no stranger to hosting video game speedrunning marathons for charity, and the COVID-19 pandemic is the perfect time for such an event. Games Done Quick has kicked off a weekend marathon called Corona Relief Done Quick, during which speedrunners from around the world will be showcasing their skills - remotely, of course - and raising money Direct Relief.