Microsoft's Twitch competitor rebrands as Mixer, makes moves for mobile

For those keeping an eye on the major streaming platforms, you should be aware that Microsoft is making some significant changes to the livestreaming service it picked up back in 2016 -- previously known as Beam. As of today, it’s now called Mixer, and it’s adding two major significant features that will change how people stream games on its platform. 

In a blog post this morning, Mixer co-founder Matt Salsamendi announced the name change as well as two major features for the platform: a mobile streaming app entering beta on iOS and Android, and a new featured called “co-streaming” that lets streamers integrate multiple channels into one broadcast with the press of a button. 

Speaking to Gamasutra by phone, Mixer partner group program manager Chad Gibson explained that the goal of the co-streaming feature is to more easily allow a broader multi-cam setup for streamers, letting them quickly cooperate with other people running Mixer streams to show, say, multiple camera angles in a multiplayer game like League of Legends. 

As Gibson described it, "[there might be] different scenarios where we're streaming an eSports event, and we have the main camera feed of the players, we have the casters, and then we have two fans in the audience streaming from their phones, and we can tell that story from a co-stream."

Elsewhere, per the Mixer blog, you should know that the mobile Mixer Create app won’t be launching with the ability to stream live gameplay from mobile devices, but that is a feature the company is planning to add in the near future. 

Gibson also told Gamasutra that Mixer hopes to make it easier for developers to use Interactive 2.0 (the company’s software used to develop interactions between stream viewers and gameplay) with mobile games in the future as well. 

"The long-term bet we’re making here, is that I really want game developers to craft their game with a viewing audience in mind," Gibson said. "What capabilities can [they] give viewers to make them feel part of the game, and how can [they] make streamers feel connected to their audience?"