Microsoft is throwing in the towel for Mixer.

On Monday, the computer conglomerate announced that it would close down its video game live streaming platform on July 22. Microsoft also announced it would be partnering with Facebook to transfer Mixer’s partners and streamers over to the social network’s gaming platform.

Mixer Partners, streamers, and community – today, we’ve got some very big news for you.

While we’ve decided to close the operations side of Mixer, we’re officially partnering with @FacebookGaming and we’re cordially inviting all of you to join.

http://aka.ms/NextStepForMixer â€¦

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20.5K 12:00 AM – Jun 23, 2020

10.3K people are talking about this

The mixer was Microsoft’s attempt to enter the booming video game streaming market. The company acquired the platform in 2016 less than a year after it first launched. Microsoft already is a major player in the video game industry with PC gaming and, of course, the Xbox, it seemed like a game live streaming service would be an obvious match.

While the service had promise, Mixer just never quite gained the necessary traction in the gaming or live streaming world. Twitch is the undisputed leader in the industry. Millions of people watch tens of thousands of streamers every day on the Amazon-owned site. YouTube also has a popular Gaming-dedicated platform on its own service.

What makes Microsoft’s decision to shut down Mixer a little shocking is that the platform actually made news less than a year ago for signing Twitch’s most popular live streamers to an exclusivity deal. 

I love my community and what we built together on Mixer. I have some decisions to make and will be thinking about you all as I make them.

148K 1:05 AM – Jun 23, 2020

10.5K people are talking about this

One of the biggest gaming headlines from last summer was that Microsoft signed Ninja, Twitch’s biggest star and one of the few mainstream Esports personalities, to a reportedly $20-$30 million contract which would see him leave Twitch and exclusively stream on Mixer. Ninja’s move actually set off shockwaves throughout the industry and sparked other platforms to sign up talent so they wouldn’t lose viewership.

Microsoft was clearly attempting to build Mixer up to be a serious live streaming contender. With its upcoming xCloud game streaming service, a sister-video live streaming platform really did make sense. In fact, the xCloud launch is likely one of the reasons Microsoft didn’t just pull the plug outright. The company’s new Facebook Gaming partnership will see some of the interconnectivity that Mixer would’ve had with xCloud — like a one-click option to play the video game that you’re watching someone stream — come to the social network’s live streaming platform.

When Mixer shuts down in July, the site and its apps will redirect to Facebook Gaming. Mixer Partners will be given partnership status with Facebook’s streaming platform and be granted monetization capabilities if they previously qualified with Mixer. Users of Microsoft’s soon-to-be-shuttered live streaming site will receive Xbox gift cards if they have outstanding Ember balances or active subscriptions with the Mixer platform.

As for Ninja and the other big streamers who were signed to Mixer exclusively, they will now be free to stream wherever they like.

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