GamesIndustry.biz is reporting on what cduld easily be one of the biggest stories in gaming so far in 2017. It appears that Twitch will begin selling digital versions of games this Spring pitting it in a head-to-head fight for dominance with Steam. While a big revelation, in a sense it comes as no surprise given that Twitch is owned by Amazon.
Folks will be able to buy games directly from Twitch streamers with publishers earning 70% of the revenue and the partnered Twitch streamer earning 5%. If a publisher or developer sells a game through their own dedicated channel, they will earn 75% of the price.
Buyers will also get something called a Twitch Crate that contains digital items including emotes, chat badges and "Bits for Cheering" when viewing a channel.
Twitch isn't launching a typical game store like Steam, and selling will only occur via selected Streamer channels and the individual game pages. However, Fontaine says there may be a call for a Twitch store in the future.
Players can either download the game and play it via the Twitch desktop app, or through existing developer or publisher-operated services (such as uPlay).
The Twitch store will reach the US first in Spring (prices in dollars), with localised versions set for later in the year.
Read the full article at the link above.
What do you think of the new initiative? Good? Bad? Somewhere between? Let us know!
