Microsoft's Mixer Ultimately Failed, Moving to Facebook Gaming
Microsoft has revealed that it is shutting down the streaming service Mixer, with users able to transition over to official partner Facebook Gaming.
Microsoft's experiment in the streaming business has proven unsuccessful, with the company announcing that it is closing down Mixer in the coming weeks and moving to Facebook Gaming. Game streaming has become a profitable business over the last few years, with popular streamers able to command huge audiences and earn millions of dollars. Mixer was Microsoft's first foray into the market.
Mixer began life in 2017 after Microsoft purchased Beam the previous year. Although the service was unable to compete with the likes of Twitch and YouTube, it attracted a dedicated following. More recently, Xbox attempted to lure high profile names to Mixer with lucrative contracts. Streamers like Shroud and Ninja both left Twitch to join Mixer, earning tens of millions of dollars in the process. The company also heavily incorporated the service into the Xbox One console in an attempt to grow the audience.
An email sent by Xbox PR reveals that Microsoft is effectively closing Mixer and shutting down the streaming service entirely. From July 22 all apps and sites associated with Mixer will redirect users to Facebook Gaming, who Microsoft has officially partnered with. According to the email sent out to press, all Mixer operations will cease immediately while the company hopes to transition users and streamers over to Facebook's streaming service over the coming days and weeks. The reason behind the sudden announcement is unclear, although Microsoft cites a lack of scale in building up the Mixer community to provide a successful platform for users.
As part of the announcement, Microsoft revealed that the company has teamed up with Facebook Gaming to allow viewers and streamers to switch over to the rival streaming service. Anyone who had signed up as a Partner with Mixer can automatically become a Partner at Facebook Gaming if they move over during the transition period. Streamers can also take part in the Level Up program, ensuring that they can continue to monetize their streams and earn revenue. Both services have extensive FAQs and help pages to assist those wishing to make the move.
The closure of Mixer is a surprise and especially interesting following recent accusations of racism from former employee Milan Lee. There was little warning that Microsoft was looking to end the service, especially when it has invested heavily in it over the last year. By partnering with Facebook Gaming, the Xbox platform may well be able to reach a wider audience than it could on Mixer, something Microsoft will be interested in with the upcoming releases of the Xbox Series X and Project xCloud in the coming months. Of course, the news also means popular streamers such as Ninja are now free to return to Twitch.
Source: Xbox PR