Game streaming platform Mixer is to be shut down on July 22nd as Microsoft has signed a new deal with Facebook Gaming.
Microsoft made headlines last year when it paid a large sum of money for exclusive rights to popular online game steamer Ninja and others. Top creators were poached from game streaming service Twitch in order to boost the numbers of Microsoft's Mixer platform, and were joined by a series of smaller channels that would become Mixer partners.
Yesterday Microsoft announced that it will be officially shutting down Mixer next month and pursuing a new strategy for its streaming. Mixer was acquired by Microsoft back in 2016 and was used as part of the company's recent push into cloud gaming with its xCloud service, which allows people who don't own a game console to play games on a console in the cloud.
A new partnership between Microsoft and Facebook will now see Facebook Gaming take over where Mixer failed. All partners on Mixer will be offered an equivalent partnership deal on Facebook Gaming if they want it, and Microsoft will be working with Facebook to integrate its xCloud cloud gaming service into its platform.
Despite exclusivity deals with popular streamers, Mixer never really gained the same traction that rival platforms managed. Those exclusivity contracts have reportedly been bought out and both streamers are now free to move to other platforms.
