By: Nat Levy
Microsoft is teaming up with Lightstream Studio to help people broadcasting games on Mixer improve the look of their streams.
The new alliance lets streamers integrate their feed into Lightstream, where they can easily add images, text, slideshows and other elements. The goal, according to Lightstream, a Chicago startup that aims to simplify the livestreaming experience, is to let “creators focus more on their content, instead of being a technical wizard.”
The partnership is still in a beta testing phase and will be rolled out to all Mixer users at a later date.
This deal fits in with Mixer’s goal of making it easier for the streamers that play games for an audience to get set up on the platform as Microsoft attempts to woo users away from Amazon’s market-leading Twitch. Last year, Microsoft redesigned the Mixer app and released a Mixer Create app to make it easier for people to stream on the go.
Mixer was born last year, when Microsoft rebranded the Beam streaming service it acquired in 2016. Microsoft has since integrated Mixer into Xbox and Windows 10.
The emphasis on streaming is part of a broader gaming push from Microsoft. Last month, established a new gaming cloud division that aims to entice game developers to use Microsoft’s cloud services when building their products.