You want to watch a game stream? You go to Twitch. That’s it, that’s how it works. Amazon’s monopoly on your eyeballs is complete. While the existence of Mixer and YouTube’s own live streaming tools may exist as the Yin to the Bezos Yang, there’s no denying that Twitch has managed to cut a hefty slice of the gaming streaming pie out for itself, leaving a few crumbs for every other would-be rival on the block.
To quote Demolition Man, you’ve got to send a maniac to catch a maniac. Or in this case, you need to fight the global domination of a monopoly with another monopoly that’s after your precious time. Facebook is looking to meet that challenge, with a new game streaming app that’ll be released today under the highly original name of Facebook Gaming. It’ll launch first on Android devices, with an iOS rollout eventually.
Originally scheduled for a June release, Facebook Gaming was pushed out ahead of schedule thanks to COVID-19 quarantining everyone at home, giving Facebook the perfect storm from which to launch their new streaming ship. “Investing in gaming in general has become a priority for us because we see gaming as a form of entertainment that really connects people,” Facebook exec Fidji Simo said to The New York Times.
We’re seeing a big rise in gaming during quarantine.
“We don’t want to be the background window in a Chrome tab while someone is doing their homework or doing something else,” Facebook’s Vivek Sharma added.
With mobile, if you have the app open and you’re using the app, it’s in the foreground. You can’t do anything else on your mobile phone, and that is extremely powerful.
I’ve loaded the app on my phone, and it’s pretty neat! For now, it’s a lean and mean extra for anyone into streaming, with nary an advert to be seen…for now at least. Until the eventual influx of ads do appear, Facebook is relying on a star system wherein fans can tip streamers, with Facebook taking a cut from those donations. Could this be the start of a new challenger finally giving Twitch a run for their money? The answer, is a definite “Maybe”.
Last Updated: April 21, 2020
D@rCF0g
April 21, 2020 at 09:39
MS is trying, now Facebook has thrown their hat in to the ring, so let’s see if Twitch will feel a bit of burn!