Shelter in place and stay-at-home orders have led to an ocean of content being consumed via streaming platforms and game streaming has been no exception.
A new report from StreamElements examines the bump in streaming content, platforms, and trends since gamers have been forced to engage with content in new and creative ways. While almost all game streaming platforms saw significant growth in their year over year live streaming metrics, Microsoft’s Mixer platform stood out as the lone platform that remained stagnant over the past 12 months.
According to StreamElements measurements, Twitch saw 98% YoY growth, jumping from 750M in April 2019 to 1,419B in April 2020, compared to Mixers 37,044M move in April 2019 to 37,106M in April 2020. As a whole, the industry moved from 1,917B in 2019 views to 3,934B in 2020.
The livestreaming industry has proven to be one of the bright lights during these dark times based on its milestone-setting viewership numbers. Whether you look at the 1.49B hours watched of gaming-specific content on Twitch or the 1.65B hours watched when you add in the non-gaming content (like music, Just Chatting, etc.), it’s clear they are still king of the stream with overall hours watched. Facebook Gaming also managed to impress in terms of the rate of their growth, more than tripling their year-over-year numbers. While Mixer had the least amount of growth, Microsoft still has a potential ace in its pocket depending on how they marry Ninja with Xbox Series X and Halo Infinite.
In fairness, StreamElements does note that its numbers include non-gaming content such as Just Chatting and Music, to which Twitch has outmaneuvered most competitors as becoming the premier destination for musicians looking to supplant their normal touring revenue with digital concerts or content releases.
As for Mixer’s, this stagnation in increasing eyeballs to its service during perhaps a time uniquely suited for its growth should be a concerning trend for the folks working to expand the platform’s appeal.
