Mixer, Microsoft’s streaming service introduced in January 2016, is shutting down after four and a half years of hosting streams.Mixer is the second most popular streaming servicein terms of streamers and downloads behind Twitch. Going into 2020, Mixer had nearly four million unique channels and home to some of the top streamers in the world.
Along with the announcement of Mixer’s shutdown, Microsoft also announced a new partnership with Facebook Gaming as a replacement for Mixer. However, Microsoft andMixer signed on lots of big namesin the streaming world to work exclusively with Mixer. A couple of streamers who joined Mixer include Ninja and Shroud, who have combined audiences of over four million followers and 90,000,000 total views.
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It seems that Ninja and Shroud have had their contracts paid in full and are now free agents, meaning they can pursue any platform they wish. There will definitely lead to a large shift in viewers and streamers across all platforms now that Mixer is shutting down, though it seems safe to assume that many will return to streaming on Twitch. Most big names, likeNinja, who moved to Mixerwere previously streaming on Twitch and their absence affected viewing substantially.
The announcement has been met with surprise from many members of Mixer’s community. However, many of the top streamers for Mixer have not commented, which makes it difficult to know if they were previously aware of this move. There are many questions still in the air about the status of Mixer streamers and Microsoft’s new partnership with Facebook Gaming.
Mixer was owned by Microsoft and was directly integrated into Xbox, giving streamers the ability to broadcast right from the console. With the new Facebook Gaming partnership, it’s unclear how much control Microsoft will have regarding streaming and policies.
The announcement came at a strange time, especially considering the slew of accusations of racism and sexual harassment in the streaming industry. Mixer is in the middle of the controversy withdirect accusations made against senior management regarding racism. Microsoft has not shared any details regarding the accusations or the shutdown of Mixer. The announcement is sure to cause an uproar in the streaming community, and many will look to top streamers to see their next move.
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