Microsoft has announced that it's shutting down its Mixer streaming service, and that it's teaming up with Facebook to enable to the Mixer community to transition to Facebook Gaming.
In an article posted earlier today, Xbox head Phil Spencer explained the reason for Mixer's closure:
"Ultimately, the success of Partners and streamers on Mixer is dependent on our ability to scale the service for them as quickly and broadly as possible. It became clear that the time needed to grow our own livestreaming community to scale was out of measure with the vision and experiences we want to deliver to gamers now, so we’ve decided to close the operations side of Mixer and help the community transition to a new platform."
The company says that it'll be working with interested members of the Mixer community to transition to Facebook Gaming over the next few weeks, and that all Mixer sites and apps will begin redirecting to Facebook's service as of July 22. The ability to stream to Mixer from your Xbox One will also be turned off on that date.
Furthermore, Microsoft will be using Project xCloud in the future to debut "click-to-play scenarios" within the Facebook Gaming and Instagram communities, while Mixer's technology will continue to be used by Microsoft Teams to "support a variety of video-first, virtual experiences from meetings to live events to other broadcast scenarios."
Are you sad to see Mixer go? Give us your thoughts in the comments below.
[source news.xbox.com]
Comments 42
Facebook, really, damn it!
I’m out. I was considering trying to use mixer more and maybe start streaming myself but no
How much money did Ninja ask for streaming on Mixer? Well, if streamers are so demanding, I say give the money to your developers, Microsoft! Focus on games and forget about the spoiled streamers.
Anyone no how to delete your mixer account? I don't want my details automatically going to Facebook. F them.
Not like Amazon is a virtuous company (they're awful), but Facebook is the obvious greater evil. Maybe the Xbox-Oculus relationship had something to do with it. I never used Mixer anyways so I guess this doesn't hurt me, but even as a reluctant Facebook user, I avoid that company. There's a reason I went Windows VR and not Oculus.
@JON22 https://watchbeam.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/208104776-Creating-an-Account
Mixer uses an Xbox/Microsoft account so I don't think there's anything to delete. Though the fact that they are teaming up with Facebook is sketchy. I assume the migration is for streamers on PC, and the URLs for their Mixer pages pointing to Facebook (and not Twitch interestingly). Streaming from Xbox is just poofing into thin air so I don't think we'll see Facebook software on Xbox (thank goodness).
Mixer didn't last long
Eww I hate Facebook. Just needs to burn and die.
@JON22 I think this will be more like when Microsoft "teamed" up with spotify when Groove was ended. It's a nice way of saying you have options but Microsoft isn't one of them anymore.
Facebook? I don't see this going down well...
@mousieone same. I don't even have a Facebook account, I hate social media and think it's actually contributed to much more bad than good in society. And it's run by a lunatic with a messiah complex
It is rare that I step into a video game website comments section and find myself completely at home, but I’m very pleased to see the anti-Facebook sentiment here. Gives a curmudgeon hope....
Hopefully Sony makes fun of this like they did with Don Mattrick's vision of the XB1 in 2013. It would be an easy win for PS5 and at the same time Microsoft may have to reconsider so Xbox benefits too.
@Grumblevolcano
Huh? Why would Sony make fun of this? That makes no sense. Should Microsoft then make fun of the Vita, PSVR, or Sony laptops & phones or one of their many movie disasters? 🙄
I never understood the concept of watching people you don’t know play video games when you can just play them yourself.
I know Twitch is successful, but I just don’t get it.
@KelticDevil Sony made fun of Don Mattrick's vision of the XB1 because it was a very unpopular decision and that helped PS4 become a massive success. This partnership is also a very unpopular decision and will be prominent on Series X so by making fun of it, Sony would be able to get more people to buy a PS5 instead of Series X.
@Vincent294 I also think that this is basically migrating streamers to Facebook and that Microsoft will not send personal data to another company because that's illegal, at least in Europe. They have to ask for permission first. They are saying streamers to go to Facebook instead of saying go nowhere... and probably encouraging people to watch them on Facebook because Mixer is no more.
@RedShirtRod Yeah, exactly that. I just read your comment after writing mine.
@Grumblevolcano Nah, you'll get the option to download the Facebook app on Series X and that's it.
@BlueOcean I don't think they will give data, it's just not a good look.
@Vincent294 I agree.
@Grumblevolcano
Comparing Don Mattrick’s arrogance & idiocy to Microsoft giving up on Mixer.....huh?
The two aren’t even in the same galaxy. Mattrick almost ruined Xbox. I am sure there are very few gamers who care about Mixer, which is why it struggled in the first place.
If people would buy a PS5 instead of XSX just bc of Mixer, those people have mental problems. 🙄
@KelticDevil Giving up on Mixer isn't the issue, the new partnership is.
@Grumblevolcano What partnership? This is what Microsoft said:
"We’ve decided to close the operations side of Mixer and help the community transition to a new platform".
That's not a partnership, it's telling streamers go there because we're shutting this down.
"All Mixer sites and apps will begin redirecting to Facebook's service as of July 22. The ability to stream to Mixer from your Xbox One will also be turned off on that date".
Not sure why they wanted to mention Facebook gaming seems a miss-step just say it is winding down. Everyone knows Twitch is the game streaming platform.
@Grumblevolcano
It still doesn’t compare to Don Mattrick, so your point still makes no sense.
@SuperNintendoMii same only I have a Facebook account I don’t use. sighs
@loyalroyal1989 It could be because of what the article mentions, to add xCloud ads or links on Facebook and Instagram... Microsoft gives Facebook some streamers and Facebook gives Microsoft xCloud advertising.
@Vincent294 It still possible to stream directly from Xbox using Twitch app. I just did it.
@duhsoares21 Cool, glad to see there are still options.
@Royalblues I have Game Pass Ultimate and my wife just does Game Pass on PC. The options from Xbox Studios are mostly the same as console but the third party games can be pretty different. Overall if you've enjoyed your subscription so far changing it to the PC won't be that different and I think you'll like it. You log into the app and it acts pretty similar as on the Xbox one.
@Grumblevolcano The reason Xbox One bomb in the beginning was Mattrick's idea of Always online and not being able to share games. Something that would piss gamers off. Most gamers don't care about Mixer.
@KelticDevil Looks like somebody mistook this place for Push Square.
@Tasuki
We finally agree. 😉
Can't wait to fire up my Xbox Series X and never ever use the Facebook Gaming tab on the dash. A tab that will only exist because some smartarse decided that splashing $40m on Ninja and a couple of dozen million on signing other streamers to temporary deals was a better idea than creating new talent or investing in improving discoverability.
Absolutely can't wait.
Mixer featured tech that was years ahead of Twitch, but practically every step that was taken after they were purchased by Microsoft has been the wrong one, sadly.
I have never used either Facebook Gaming or Mixer. I'll stick with Twitch and YouTube. Thanks.
@Tasuki A key controversy you're forgetting about is regarding the forced Kinect usage. Both in the sense that you could only buy XB1 + Kinect bundles but also that the original idea was that you always had to have Kinect connected at all times and what is done with Kinect data.
If Microsoft forces Facebook Gaming like they have currently done with Mixer (you can ignore Mixer but it's always there, integrated at the system level) then the controversy is comparable to Don Mattrick's XB1 vision.
There goes my easy Horizon Influence farming^^
This is a shame as Mixer had some good tech and it was nice to have an alternative to Twitch, it was also nice to have the integrated streaming facility.
All that said you can still stream to Twitch from your Xbox so streamers aren’t left out in the cold.
I can’t see Facebook streaming being integrated into Xbox, I think they are just passing the torch over to Facebook. There may be a Facebook app that allows streaming in the future, but I think it would be more like the Twitch app where it’s an optional extra. I hope I am correct.
@Tasuki yeah but done forget kinect, while there were privacy issues after Edward snowdon went on the run after blowing the whistle.
Meanwhile people will continue to upload their lives to social media, and have alexa in their house, but the minute you attach a camera to a game console people think Microsoft are sat on the other end watching you 🙄
Although, the price didn't help
@BlueOcean I really hope that is the case but I think they are making too big a deal of it for just that but fingers crossed.
@Grumblevolcano Who forced you to use Mixed? I always use my Xbox One and not once have I been forced to use Mixed not like In would have been with always online features. Nice try with your trolling but maybe you should go over to Push Square with all the MS haters there. I am sure you will get more responses there with your trollish thoughts.
good, they need to invest in games not mixer!
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