Steam challenges Twitch with new video streaming service
The introduction of Steam’s new video streaming platform for gamers could pose a challenge to market leader Twitch
Amazon-owned company Twitch has added a video streaming function to its portfolio in a move that directly challenges market leader Twitch
Leading PC gaming platform Steam has announced it will be adding a video streaming function to its portfolio, a move that puts the internet-based digital distribution channel in direct competition with market leader Twitch. Acquired by Amazon for $970m in September, the world’s largest video platform for community gamers is about to face its first major hurdle.
The Amazon-owned service allows gamers to broadcast gameplay live, and the company claims that 60 million users log in every month to watch and discuss the footage. What started out as a branch of the now defunct online service Justin. TV is today among the hottest properties in emerging technology, after the company managed to fetch $1bn after only three years in operation. Steam, therefore, will be hoping to replicate the platform’s success by leveraging on its already considerable clout in the PC streaming space.
The Amazon-owned service allows gamers to broadcast gameplay live
Currently, the newly announced Steam Broadcasting service supports only Google Chrome, Safari and Steam itself, though the facility will be made available on a wider array of browsers after it passes the beta testing phase in the months ahead. “Want to show off? Invite a friend to watch your game. Friend stuck on a level? Watch and give them live pointers,” reads the official Steam Broadcasting page, though the service is still inferior to Twitch in a number of ways. For one, webcam footage cannot be seen when streaming gameplay and the highly popular ‘watch later’ function is not yet available.
However, these features will likely be made available as the service wears on, and there are areas where Steam could conceivably surpass twitch in the long-term. For example, the absence of advertising on the new service could mean that frustrated users turn to Steam as a preferable alternative, and loyal Steam users might prefer to stick with what they know. Still, it’s unlikely that Steam Broadcasting will trouble Twitch any time soon, given the partnerships Twitch has formed with major esports events, which account for a considerable share of the company’s revenue.
The introduction of Steam to the game streaming market, then, does not signal a changing of the guard, though goes some way to underline the opportunities available to major industry players in what is a highly undeveloped market.
