I know a few people who were “just about” making the breakthrough on Mixer, but it’s all going out the window.
According to Microsoft, Mixer is done, the service is shutting down and gamers will be transitioned to Facebook Gaming instead. Those that had signed massive contracts for exclusive streaming (think Ninja’s move from Twitch) look like – for the moment at least – that they’re free agents again.
It’s not the first big service that Microsoft has shuttered, with Groove Music (formerly Xbox Music) dropped and users faciliated in transitioning to Spotify back in 2017.
The final streams go out on 22 July, one month from today.
What sparked the decision?
According to the official release, while it doesn’t mention lack of numbers specifically “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.”
“The Facebook Gaming team and Creators will help expand the vision that Mixer has always held around community and building a platform that is inclusive and supportive of each other.”
“For Mixer’s streamers, this opens up the opportunity to reach the vast audience of one of the world’s fastest growing streaming platforms. Every month, more than 700 million people play a game, watch a gaming video or interact in a gaming Group on Facebook. For Facebook Gaming’s Creators, this brings the ability to partner closely with the Xbox ecosystem, including future opportunities around Xbox Game Pass, Project xCloud and more.”
What about partners, earnings, embers and sparks?
The general gist looks as follows:
- Mixer Partners will now by Facebook Gaming Partners, with Facebook matching existing Partner agreements as closely as possible.
- Mixer streamers eligible for monetisation will get access to the Facebook Gaming Level Up Programme.
- Embers and Sparks should be spent before 22 July. Mixer Partners to get double-payment for all earnings in the month of June.
- Microsoft to issue Xbox Gift Card credit in lieu of outstanding Ember balances, channel subs or Mixer Pro subs.
- Mixer broadcasting on Xbox One to be disabled.
And with that, the countdown begins to 22 July and the official switch off of Mixer. Three years and done, with shoulders at Twitch and YouTube collectively relaxing you would imagine.
With development resources now saved at Mixer, is it a sign of bigger things to come for Project xCloud?
