Microsoft is shutting down Mixer in favour of a new partnership with Facebook Gaming. The livestreaming platform, formally known as Beam, was acquired by Microsoft back in 2016. It will officially cease operations on July 22nd - less than one month from now.
Mixer has always struggled behind competition from the likes of YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook over the years. Despite signing a multi-million dollar exclusivity deal with mega streaming star Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins in 2019, it seems it never quite got what it needed to be a real competitor in the space.
Ninja had only been signed to Mixer for less than a year, but he'll no longer be tied to his exclusivity deal. This means he can, if he wants, return to Twitch to continue his career there. It's unclear exactly what he plans to do at this point, however.
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"I love my community and what we built together on Mixer," he wrote on Twitter last night. "I have some decisions to make and will be thinking about you all as I make them."
Meanwhile, Mixer's website and app will redirect users to Facebook Gaming where all streamer's in the Mixer Partner Program will be able to continue as partners, if they wish to do so.
"Ultimately, the success of partners and streamers on Mixer is dependent on our ability to scale the platform for them as quickly and broadly as possible," Xbox boss Phil Spencer said in a statement.
"It became clear that the time needed to grow our own livestreaming community to scale was out of measure with the vision and experiences that Microsoft and Xbox want to deliver for gamers now, so we've decided to close the operations side of Mixer and help the community transition to a new platform."
Spencer also explained that the new deal is part of a larger arrangement between Facebook and Xbox. It seems Microsoft is working towards a future where Xbox is more compatible with Facebook and Instagram - which presumably means more social features, sharing functionality, and that kind of thing.
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"Everything we've done to date at Xbox has been to meet players where they are and reduce the friction between curiosity and play as much as possible," he said. "Making it easy for players to discover and play games wherever they are creates new, viable pathways for developers to reach new players and to be rewarded for new ideas. This is where our work can make the widest impact."
Facebook noted that it's "proud to invite everyone in the Mixer community to Facebook Gaming," and that it'll do everything it can to make the transition easy for those streamers who decide to make the switch.
Featured Image Credit: Mixer/FacebookTopics: Twitch