Microsoft shuts down Mixer, partners with Facebook for gaming streams
The Twitch competitor is closing down next month.
- I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
Microsoft Mixer is closing down July 22.
Microsoft's game-streaming service Mixer is closing down, with the tech giant telling users to transition over to Facebook Gaming instead. The decision, announced Monday, came after Microsoft decided the time needed to grow Mixer was too long in comparison to "the vision and experiences that Microsoft and Xbox want to deliver for gamers now." The service will shut down July 22.
"We're teaming up with Facebook to enable the Mixer community to transition to Facebook Gaming," a Mixer blog post said.
There are also plans to tie in Xbox Game Pass and Project xCloud to the Facebook Gaming service.
The change means the streamers signed exclusively to Microsoft's Mixer, like Ninja and Shroud, are now free to rejoin Twitch, as pointed out by The Verge. "It's up to them and their priorities," Vivek Sharma, Facebook Gaming head, told The Verge. An Xbox spokesperson said in an emailed statement that Facebook Gaming will welcome all Mixer Partners, but "ultimately it's up to them as they think about the next step for their careers, in the same way it's up to all Mixer Partners."
"I love my community and what we built together on Mixer," Ninja tweeted Monday afternoon. "I have some decisions to make and will be thinking about you all as I make them."
See also: How to extend the life of your game console
The blog post said Facebook Gaming will match contracts with Mixer Partners "as closely as possible." They'll also be paid double their earnings for June.
Streamers involved in Mixer's open monetization program will be eligible for Facebook Gaming's Level Up Program, and viewers with outstanding Ember balances, Mixer Pro subscriptions and channel subscriptions will be given Xbox credit.
Mixer has been downloaded around 3.4 million times in the App Store and Google Play this year, according to analytics company SensorTower, amounting to a 23% decrease from last year. In total, Mixer has been downloaded 21 million times globally. By comparison, SensorTower estimates Twitch has been installed over 188 million times on mobile devices, with a 115% increase in downloads since last year.
Facebook Gaming, which is only available on Android devices, has been downloaded around 8.3 million times in total, SensorTower said.
