After previous rumours that the game streaming service Twitch.tv would be acquired by Google’s Youtube division, it seems that deal is now dead and a new player has entered the fray. Amazon is now to be the confirmed buyers of Twitch for an easy 970 Million dollars cash.
The two companies have confirmed the deal today allowing Amazon to acquire the service that hosts live-broadcasted gaming-related video to more than 55 million monthly viewers. With such a big audience moving into Amazon’s portfolio we could see some interesting changes in the near future but for now it seems everything will stay the same.
In a blog post written by Twitch CEO Emmett Shear he shares why he has chosen to do the deal with Amazon.
“We chose Amazon because they believe in our community, they share our values and long-term vision, and they want to help us get there faster. We’re keeping most everything the same: our office, our employees, our brand, and most importantly our independence. But with Amazon’s support we’ll have the resources to bring you an even better Twitch.”
Following that Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com also commented on the acquisition, praising Twitch for its remarkable growth in the last 3 years.
“Broadcasting and watching gameplay is a global phenomenon and Twitch has built a platform that brings together tens of millions of people who watch billions of minutes of games each month — from The International, to breaking the world record for Mario, to gaming conferences like E3. And, amazingly, Twitch is only three years old. Like Twitch, we obsess over customers and like to think differently, and we look forward to learning from them and helping them move even faster to build new services for the gaming community.””
While the deal has been confirmed it doesn’t like it will be completed until the end of this year. Hopefully this means good things for everyone involved including the community that has made Twitch into what it is today. Bringing in a large company like Amazon allows some improved infrastructure and hardware to be brought in. More hardware, less disconnects and an overall better experience for all.