The title says it all right? As Microsoft closes its doors on Mixer another door opens for game streaming. So what do I mean, well, facebook gaming is becoming a thing with some serious clout behind it. As we move further into the future, Facebook as a bigger and bigger foothold on our data, including the types of streamers, and streams, we watch and enjoy. Mixer streamers found out today via a tweet that their careers have officially ended.
So why not make that transition to Facebook Gaming and take advantage of all your family, and friends getting notified when you go live? Instant following, instant groups, instant clout. This is the move that Mixer has taken by partnering with Facebook and closing its doors and pushing people over to Facebook gaming.
Of course that doesn’t mean you have to change to Facebook gaming, there are a lot of other options out there for streaming. Officially I have streamed on about 6 platforms, I have tried different sites, and read different rules/policies of different streaming services. Each service has its own ups and downs, so what defines you as a streamer, isn’t necessarily the platform, but what you can achieve within the terms of service on that platform. I’ll lay it out for you.
- Dlive – http://www.dlive.tv | Dlive is a great alternative to facebook gaming, twitch, and now defunct mixer. This site pays you out via crypto, the TRON crypto to be exact. If you do not know what that is, it is the crypto from Bittorrent. (That is a HUGE deal). And you can make money right away, unlike over on twitch, where you need to be an affiliate first. This is a good site.
- Trove – http://www.trove.live | This is an up and coming streaming site, it works a lot like any other site, the metric behind this site is the fact that it is small, so your growth on the site can be quick. Establishing yourself now while the service is still pretty small will allow you to take advantage of a growing userbase, that will grow with you.
- Plexstorm – http://www.plexstorm.com | PlexStorm is an up and coming streaming site as well, but unlike other streaming sites, this site has an emphasis on the ability to stream adult content. So you, as the end-point streamer, don’t have to worry about covering up, or not wearing skimpy clothes. If you wanna be a ‘titty streamer’, then by god, this is the service for you. If you wanna play those adult anime sex games, you can. No filters, no censorship. Only caveat is the 18+ models notice. You have to be 18 and over to use this site as it does contain nudity, sexuality, etc. Most of the streamers on here are amature porn stars in the making. Or at least they want to be. So this could be a mixed bag.
- Twitch – http://www.twitch.tv | Twitch is so well known I feel as if I do not need to go into it. But this service is probably the best service to play and stream on. The growth can be slow, depending how you play your games, what demographic you are targetting with your streams, how you stream, what time you stream, your language. It all plays a very large effect on your ability to grow on this site. But this is the site that pretty much started it all (formally Justin.tv). Once you hit 50 followers here, you can be an affiliate, and make money, get subs, and start your brand. Twitch is owned by Amazon and this allows you to get ‘twitch prime’ subscribers, which is basically a tier 1 sub, at half the payout for you.
- Periscope TV – http://www.pscp.tv | Periscope TV is Twitters response to online streaming sites. I am not confident in how its payout works, but I see more and more people using this service lately, and I plan on giving it a try to verify exactly how its partnerships work if any.
For those who watch streams on Mixer, whether it be built into the community tab on their Xbox, or the Xbox tab on their Xbox, or in windows, on their phone, this will be a trying time coming up as to where they will find their next bastion of entertainment. But they have to not look any further than Twitch, Dlive, Trove, Plexstorm, or Periscope TV. There are plenty of other streaming sites out there, but these ones here are the names on peoples tongues.
For the big names of Mixer, Shroud, and Ninja, they are now free agents, are are both looking at what they are going to do next.
Twitch took to twitter to extend a hand to those from Mixer whom are finding themselves without a home. I have a feeling, that a majority of those whom are finding themselves transient at this time, will find their new homes at Twitch.
There is a flurry of articles that have been thrown across the internet, streamers are weighing in on the ‘death’ of Mixer, and the future of gaming on Facebook Gaming. Some people have valid reasons to avoid streaming on Facebook, mostly being that facebook makes their money by selling your data to 3rd parties, such as advertisers. Those advertisers knowing the streamers, and streams you like, turn around and find ways to advertise content and what-not to you. So obviously this is something people take seriously. And this helps make the decision of where to go next, a very trying one.
I have watched my friends bounce back and forth between platforms, hell, even I have done it. (twitch.tv/simmydizzle) but that is because I am never happy and I am always looking for a the next thing. But I still made a home out of twitch, I am an Affiliate, and I am growing.
I would expect anyone who transfers from Mixer to Twitch to grow, and grow fast as their fanbase/userbase is also without that home, and they will typically follow their streamers to their new home. So wherever they end up, they will be fine.
So what does this mean for people already established on existing services other than Mixer? Well, it means we can expect an influx of new people, new streamers, new viewers, to our playforms. We can expect that if big-names from Mixer show up, we might see a dip in our own personal viewership as people who were watching us on our platform, and refused to follow those streamers to other platforms when they left, may now find themselves watching the big names over watching us little guys.
It means we will have to try harder to establish ourselves against an onslaught of ‘new’ people on our platforms. But to be fair, this is what it is like to stream. There is a certain ebb and flow to it. Now is the time to greet those new (or returning) streamers with open arms, make them feel welcome on our platforms, and focus on a future together with them.
And if you’ve made it this far and you’ve seen my link for my twitch channel twice, then beware, it’ll pop up at least one more time. Because here I sign off, and leave another link below.
Feel free to stop by my channel over on twitch, give me a follow, and see what I am doing next. I would love to see you all there.
