Microsoft will shut down Mixer and partner with Facebook Gaming
Microsoft will be terminating their video game streaming platform, Mixer.
In a blog post, Microsoft revealed that “the success of Partners and streamers on Mixer is dependent on our ability to scale the platform for them as quickly and broadly as possible.”
They continued that it “became clear that the time needed to grow our own livestreaming community to scale was out of measure with the vision and experiences that Microsoft and Xbox want to deliver for gamers now, so we’ve decided to close the operations side of Mixer and help the community transition to a new platform.”
Mixer Partners, streamers, and community – today, we've got some very big news for you.
While we’ve decided to close the operations side of Mixer, we're officially partnering with @FacebookGaming and we're cordially inviting all of you to join.
📰 https://t.co/E1eMDvjYQb pic.twitter.com/554hHAXfaB
— Mixer (@WatchMixer) June 22, 2020
That platform will be Facebook Gaming. This partnership will allow Facebook Gaming Creators to take advantage of “the Xbox ecosystem, including future opportunities around Xbox Game Pass, Project xCloud and more.” Facebook Gaming will grant Mixer Partners partner status, and will “honor and match all existing Partner agreements as closely as possible.” The website will remain active until July 22, and after that, it will redirect to fb.gg.
The writing for all this was on the wall. With other streaming platforms growing during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Mixer was stagnant. In a year where livestream viewership increased by 99%, Microsoft’s platform only saw a .02% year over year growth in terms of hours watched. By contrast, Facebook Gaming saw a 238% increase in the same metric. It was reported that Mixer was also going through new management, budget cuts, and layoffs.
The question remains, what will happen to the big-name Twitch streamers that Microsoft signed in their efforts to grow their platform? Cory “KingGothalion” Michael announced that he will be going along with the move over to Facebook Gaming.
Sources: Facebook offered an insane offer at almost double for the original Mixer contracts of Ninja and Shroud but Loaded/Ninja/Shroud said no and forced Mixer to buy them out. Ninja made ~$30M from Mixer, and Shroud made ~$10M
Ninja and Shroud are now free agents
— Rod "4475 SR & Immortal peak" Breslau (@Slasher) June 22, 2020
It’s a different story for Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and Michael “shroud” Grzesiek, however. Both streamers apparently turned down an offer from Facebook that was worth double of what their Mixer deals were worth.
It was revealed that Ninja’s Mixer deal came in at a hefty $30 million, while shroud’s deal was worth $10 million. The two were bought out of their contracts, were paid the remaining amount in full, and are now essentially free agents in the streaming world.
I appreciate the Mixer community and everything I’ve been able to do on the platform. I love you guys and am figuring out my next steps. 💙
— Michael Grzesiek (@shroud) June 22, 2020
I love my community and what we built together on Mixer. I have some decisions to make and will be thinking about you all as I make them.
— Ninja (@Ninja) June 22, 2020
Ninja and shroud responded to the news on Twitter. Both of them thanked the Mixer community and said that they are currently mulling over their next moves.
With Mixer gone and Facebook Gaming’s offers off the table, all signs point to both stars choosing between YouTube and Twitch.
