Microsoft Teases First-Ever 'Stream-To-Win' Option Built Into Xbox (arstechnica.com)

At this month's E3, Microsoft confirmed "a first in the booming world of game streaming," reports Ars Technica. "It's a subtle thing, which we're dubbing 'stream-to-win,' and it sees Microsoft take its boldest step in battling the behemoth service Twitch." From the report: Horizon 4 will be the first Microsoft Studios game to recognize when players broadcast their live gameplay via Mixer and then give out bonuses within that game for doing so (Mixer is a Twitch-like service that Microsoft acquired in 2016 before re-dubbing it Beam). All Xbox One consoles received an update last year to integrate one-button "stream to Mixer" support, which players can swap to Twitch by going through the system's options.

In the week-plus since learning this about Horizon 4, we have been unable to find a comparable feature in any video game -- meaning, one that recognizes a broadcast (on Mixer, Twitch, or any other service) and then gives out goodies inside the same video game as a reward. Some video games already include official and deep integration with Twitch and Mixer, but these rely largely on audience-driven votes, like in the digital card game Superfight and the battle royale game Darwin Project.

Comments

Sounds like a good way to devalue your service

[Leuf]

If the service and games combine together to make it easy for the player to get something useful for playing the game then you are going to have the service flooded with poor quality streams from people who don't really want to be streaming but do so for the reward, thus making it harder for the people who are actually trying to make and find good content. If all you want are warm bodies then all you are going to get is warm bodies.