Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Microsoft Purchases Interactive Streaming Platform Beam
Microsoft is getting into the streaming game with the purchase of Beam. The platform not only allows people to share their gameplay, but is built for interactivity.
Players can impact games via visual controls (rather than chat). We’ve seen similar, chat-driven features in other games like Daylight, but those all require users to flood the chat channel with specific commands.
Rare’s upcoming Sea of Thieves will feature the ability to jump between multiple players and crews from the same stream. On Beam’s site, you can see integrations in a number of games. The company says that it doesn’t require developers bake-in interactive features. All titles and platforms are supported.
Beam says it will use its new status as a part of Microsoft to ramp up both infrastructure and staffing. You can take the service for a test drive on the Beam website.
[Source: Microsoft]
Our Take
This is a more natural approach to interactive streaming than the solution on Twitch that turns chat into a mess. I’m eager to play around with this a bit, as it seems to have huge potential. Not requiring developers to necessarily bake in interactive support means there’s more diversity in what interactive streamers can play.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
