Microsoft has announced today that it has acquired a live streaming service called Beam. The service enables viewers to interact with streamers while the broadcasts are live. Not only does it give viewers the ability to watch but they can also play along with their favorite game streamers in real time. This is how it’s fundamentally different from popular game streaming service Twitch which is now owned by Amazon.
Microsoft mentions in its announcement that Beam has transformed game streaming from a passive, watch-and-chat experience into one where the viewers can participate in real time.
The company says that this acquisition is part of its commitment to make Xbox Live more social and fun. Beam’s technology will enable viewers to give streamers new challenges and make real time choices that affect their gameplay, all by using virtual controls.
Microsoft’s announcement hints that both Minecraft and Sea of Thieves will be used to push Beam’s service to players as more titles are opened up to this new game streaming experience.
The benefit for Beam here is that Microsoft’s infinitely deeper pockets will enable it to scale faster than ever before. That’s a sentiment Beam CEO Matt Salsamendi shares, saying that “As part of the Xbox team, we’ll be able to scale faster than we’ve ever been able to before.”
No financial terms of the deal have been disclosed.
Filed in . Read more about Microsoft, Twitch and Xbox. Source: blogs.microsoft